The BIG 2-9

Guess who's birthday is March 26th? You guessed it, Jeff's! If you didn't know Jeff's birthday was on the 26th, you probably also didn't know that Jason, his twin brother, will also be celebrating! So, Happy 29th Birthday to Jason as well, we love you!

I think it was 2 years ago that I declared all our birthdays official holidays, so that means Jeff gets the day off. He has meetings pretty much all day today, so I am more ecstatic than ever to spend the day together tomorrow. (Especially since last year for his birthday, he was here in Bangkok without us, celebrating by himself. Lame. ) As I was thinking about what to write about my sweet husband this week, I realized that there are so many things that I LOVE about Jeff that other people probably don't even know about. So, in honor of the birthday boy, I am sharing just 29 of the many things I love about Jeff. Don't worry, I'll keep it from getting too mushy.

1. I love that he loves the craziest rides at amusement parks (and will do them over and over with me.
2. I love that he is simple, what you see is what you get.
3. I love that he is a one man circus act: juggling, balancing things on his chin/toe, yo-yo tricks, you name it.
4. I love that he chooses to be home, even when I give him a night to do whatever he wants.
5. I love that he has amazing common sense.
6. I love that a common, and very true, phrase in our home is "Daddy can fix anything".
7. I love that he knows how to work (yard work, housework, programming, the list goes on.)
8. I love that he supports me fully in my time and thought consuming ambitions without complaint.
9. I love that he values education.
10. I love that he loves to exercise and keep fit.
11. I love that he gets along with everyone.
12. I love that he can get ready in the morning in 10 minutes (if you don't count the 20 minutes it takes him to put on his socks while he thinks about genius ways to fix his latest bug at work).
13. I love that he makes up stories with Jack every night before bed.
14. I love that he puts family first.
15. I love that he feels like he only needs just enough shirts to get him to laundry day. Why would anyone need more?
16. I love that he is a man that brings home flowers and takes out the garbage (without even being asked!).
17. I love that he loves going to the Symphony.
18. I love that he is so dedicated to learning and using Thai.
19. I love that he is non-judgmental of other people and situations.
20. I love that he will voluntarily look like a lunatic just to make me and the kids laugh.
21. I love that he will teach me computer things over and over until I finally get it.
22. I love how much he loves his family.
23. I love that he is so patient.
24. I love that he appreciates other cultures and sincerely wants to learn about them.
25. I love that he plays the banjo.
26. I love that he can't remember names.
27. I love that he likes to read for fun.
28. I love that he could be Father of the Year.
29. I love that I thought he was perfect when I first met him, and after being married for 6 years, I realize he is better than I could have ever imagined.

I know I shouldn't go on to number 30, but one of the lesser known facts about Jeff is that he is quite the goof. If you have never been on a vacation with him, you may not know that he rarely just smiles for a picture. It took me a while to realize that it's not that the camera just catches him off guard. All of the weird faces are on purpose. Here is a glimpse into a few such moments.

On the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. Of course, he does this one we are taking the picture of ourselves, so I can't see what he's doing.

The morning of the Salt Lake City Marathon. Does he look ready or what?

He took this series of photos just to see my reaction when I found them on the camera. I still don't know how he makes his face do some of these things.

I think he practices when I'm not watching.

The Hillman boys got a kick out of this one, with the antenna on his head. Janie laughs her head off at Jeff's different faces. The best is watching Jack try to duplicate them!

Rockefeller Center. We probably won't be here again for years and years, and this is the picture we have to remember it by. I love it.

This is one look that makes Jeff so fun for Jack to photograph. I'm pretty boring when compared to Daddy's funny faces.

Walking the streets of New York with Clark (Vanessa's 3rd).

If you could see the turtle better, you'd see that his lips are just like Jeff's!

The first morning of our Disneyland trip, and I can hardly keep from skipping around like a 5 year old. Jeff really was excited, he just likes my reaction when I see the picture on the camera. I guess he really likes getting a good whack to the belly.
The best thing about this picture is that he was trying to make a funny face, but while laughing at Dad Hillman's reaction to it, Dad actually caught a REAL smile. Good job, Dad!

And I couldn't resist posting this one because this is such a typical Hillman moment. Although they really don't use "potty humor", they think it's pretty funny to tease Mom Hillman, who is planning on her headstone reading "no potty jokes!". Thank goodness, she is such a good sport! (check out Jack's face!)

So, if you know Jeff, you will probably get a kick out of this. If you don't know Jeff, then you should. He really is my "perfect boy" as I called him when we first started dating. Who knew you could improve on perfect?

If you have any other "lesser known" facts to add to my list, do tell. Or feel free to offer birthday wishes! 29 is a big deal, right? My goodness, he's only got one more year until he's officially an old man!