FELIZ CUMPLEAñOS ERNESTO!

Today is Ernesto's birthday! I know a Cinco de Mayo birthday is so fitting for this mexi-CAN.

And he's 43!!?? Damn he is a good looking man!

**Picture taken at a pre-birthday dinner at Canoe with our good friends Flyod and Richard.

The birthday boy is off golfing today with my dad and 2 of his friends. A perfect day! My mom and I are here with the kids. We are blowing balloons, wrapping presents, stuffing the piñata, braising pork for tacos and baking a delicious chocolate cake.

I was thinking about all of the things that I love about him and after I started writing them down, I found it was going to be very easy to come up with 43 things....So here goes!

43 Reasons I Love Ernesto

1. He is HOT (forty three - shmorty three) and he makes rediculously cute babies!!!

2. He makes me think Im attractive.....even when I know I'm not.

3. He is very generous. whether it is treating friends/family at a restaurant or bringing the kids "surprises," or loaning out his truck, or tipping the cab driver $10 on a $6 fare, or giving away our appliances (instead of me selling them on Craigslist) He is a very giving person. Life feels generous when he is in charge.

4. He doesn't just cook, he is an excellent cook! He is also the main cook in our house and I feel so lucky. He does not make boring food and tries new recipes all the time. He can make something great out of nothing.

5. On that same note: He knows how to entertain. Something he no doubt learned from his mama. One dish will never do. There needs to be a variety and he makes sure his guests are always satisfied.

6. He can make our kitchen sparkle. I clean the kitchen, but he really cleans the kitchen. it makes me so happy when I walk in and its clean.

7. Tagging onto that: He is very domestic. Cooking, laundry, taking care of the kids, grocery shopping, cleaning bathrooms. He doesn't see house work as "womens work."

8. He is handy. And handy is probably not the best word for him, as it goes way beyond that. I can probably count on one hand how many times we have hired someone to come fix something at our house(s). He builds things too!

9. He doesn't give me decorating advice. In fact, he rarely has strong opinions on our decor which is pretty fantastic because I can make all the design decisions. However, this is not to say he doesn't have good taste -he just likes what I do to our house.

10. He never gives me grief for shopping. Ever. He has even encouraged me to buy something after I came home and said something was too expensive. (this could be to make himself feel better for his shopping-but I'll take it!)

11. He chooses to be happy. He is in a good mood daily. I don't ever worry about him "waking up on the wrong side of the bed." It just doesn't happen.

12. He is a great lip-sync-er. This is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud at any given moment.

13. He has a cute little bubble butt.

14. I love how he dresses. In all of our years together I have never said (or thought) "oh my god, what are you wearing?" He dresses simple and stylishly and needs no help from me to be approprietely dressed for any occasion. He just always looks cool. **he does have this one tank top that I am not really fond of, but I don't hate it. (you know which one Im talking about mi amor)

15. He thought AC/DC's song Dirty Deeds [done dirt cheap] said "Thirty Theives Thunder Chief"

16. He is a great lover. I know my brothers want to know the details, but I won't elaborate on that one.

17. He is always up for an adventure. Spontaneity is a beautiful thing and although with kids we do things a little differently now, he is still always up for adventures and last minute fun!

18. He isn't a planner (just like me!) He can go with the flow, handle last minute changes and come up with alternative ideas on the fly.

19. He doesn't have a prejudice bone in his body and he is not judgemental. Two very important qualities I want to pass on to our kids.

20. He can mingle with anyone. We could walk into a party together and not talk the whole night because we are mingling with others.

21. He speaks Spanish. Duh!

22. He is Mexican. Double duh!

23. He often asks me "Why are you so beautiful?"

24. He is a genuine person. He never pretends to be something that he is not. You know what you are getting from him right away and that is a genuinely nice person.

25. He is a hard worker. He started our lighting business almost 12 years ago and has built it into something that affords us a wonderful lifestyle. Hello working 4 months of the year!!!

26. He's laid-back and knows how to relax. A hard worker and a relaxer? Yes, that is two Mexican stereotypes that he fits to a tee.

27. He loves my a$$ and says he would like it even BIGGER!! This really aliviates any pressure of gaining weight. Ha! A dream, right ladies? Seriously though, he is just an a$$ man...I guess he has to be though.

27. He is affectionate. To me and to our kids. It's nice to watch.

28. He is the biggest teaser ever! To me and to our kids. Sometimes scary not nice to watch, but it's that fun-loving personality that I charish.

29. He is cultured. Having traveled to different countries, he has learned that "our" way is not the only way. This is so important and in keeping and open mind and being accepting of others. He finds it interesting and exciting to learn how people live/eat/talk differently than we do.

30. He loves to travel. I mean we wouldn't be together if this was not the case. Luckily, just like me, he has a wanderlust that hasn't wained over the years.

31. He is a great travel guide/navigator. I am usually the "planner" before a trip. And that is to say I pick a destination, set a date and buy a Lonely Planet book. I am a total follower once we arrive and I love letting him be my guide.

32. He cuts his own hair. Been that way for years and he does a good job.

33. Working out is a way of life for him. We have been workout partners since we met and although we have had lulls over the years, he has made excercising a priority. He is a good trainer too.

34. He is a great papi. Boy oh boy do our kids love their papi. He takes them to do fun things, brings them "surprises" often and makes them laugh a lot. He also can take care of business. I feel totally confident when I am away and he is in charge of our kids. As it should be. I mean, he is their papi after all, not a babysitter. Does he do things differently than mami? ABSOLUTELY. But he gets the job done.

35. He is silly. I had so many wierd words and sayings (ok, a whole language) when we met, and he has adapted to using it, or at least humors me when I talk to him in a language that doesn't really make sense. We have also added to this language over the years and boy do our families think we are strange. We have a lot of fun though.

36. He is not a complainer. Working outside in the rain and cold 10 hours a day for 75 consectutive days would make me complain. But not Ernesto. He also worked in an insurance office for several years. I job that he did not like with people he did not like and never did he compain. There is a theme here.

37. He loves my family. He is close with my siblings and my parents and treats them as his own.

38. He doesn't hold grudges. If When we fight, it gets resolved quickly. He is able to say he is sorry [when needed]. It's so much easier to be happy than hold a grudge and he gets that.

39. He is obsessed with dedicated to golfing. Although his #1 hobby takes away time away from me and the kids, (which we have a lot of, mind you) I like that he is determined to become a better player and has found something he loves to do. For years I teased him that he had no hobbies, and now he doesn't have time for any others.

40. He has discipline. When he says he is not going to drink beer for a month and loose 10 pounds, he just does it. (and he did that last month)

41. He always kisses me before he leaves the house, when he arrives home and before we go to bed.

42. He has a good sense of humor and likes to laugh.

43. He is open minded. Religion, race, gay rights, politics (ok he is a democrat!) But!! I love that he listens to republican talk radio regularly. He is not set in his ways, and with information not coming from all once source he is able to keep an open mind.

This along with so many other things makes him extremely attractive and just a great person overall.

Happy Birthday Ernesto!! So happy you are mine mi amor! I could not have found a better match!