Featuring... Charlie!

I brag about my kids a lot, but I haven't really expanded on how great my hubby is. So I'd like to take this time to honor my eternal companion. I just love him; I still get those pesky "butterflies" in my stomach when I see him come home from work or put on his Sunday suit or when I catch him looking at me.

When I met him, I thought he was so cute, but because I was with my friend Ellen (blond, beautiful and flirty), I surrendered to the possibility that he wouldn't be interested in me. After three days of hoping he liked me, I found out after we went clubbing with Ellen and he held my hands. He said that our hands had such a stark difference that he didn't want to let mine go.

Charlie and I both share a love of the gospel and being home bodies. His favorite time of the day is when we can just be together without any care at the moment.

Charlie learned to love fixing things from his wonderful dad. Their garage was converted into a workshop where it collected all types of tools for just about anything you can fix.

He loves to ski, fly planes and to watch videos with me.

He likes to trick the kids; he would come up with his own vocabulary or twist the kids' words until it makes them stop talking and think about what they heard. He can pull off a serious face until I notice his silliness then he breaks out into a half-smile/half-laugh thing that gets all of us laughing.

He loves to help out and befriend everyone, but he is just as shy and quiet.

He loves to think about his views in life and how it relates to our family.

He is not a jealous man and is totally trusting. When I ask him "what if I fall for somebody out there?", he laughs or scowls and says, "a-hmm".

He's not a compulsive person- he believes in researching everything. Sometimes, that means that we don't get anything done when I want it, causing my frustration, but it also helps me gain patience. (What a sneaky man!)

When he chastises me for something I gave an opinion on, he does it in such a gentle indirect way that I'm able to think about it on my own, so the repentant process starts with me and not of feeling like a little kid that got caught doing something wrong. A rare quality now a days...

He likes to pretend to eat what came out of his nose just to hear the kids squirm and laugh. Of course, that's when I tell him, "cut it out". Or tell stories of how he tried to make a spaghetti come out of his nose. Yuck, but it's a great story to tell the kids and the kids love hearing it. (probable reason why we don't eat much spaghetti anymore; it reminds the kids of this story.)

He's not a picky eater, but is honest about my cooking, so I can get better. (why else would I be slaving over these wonderful dishes?)

He dictated our dating flowers- he got jealous (only time) when he came over to the room I was renting and saw on my dresser, a dozen roses that a friend from work gave to help with my high stress during the day. He chose the purple iris as a form of rebellion. I thought that it was so sweet- it was his way of saying, "we are exclusive."

Charlie is so wonderful in his quiet but full of wisdom ways. I'm still thanking Heavenly Father that we met, loved and got married. With him, everyday is Valentine's Day... my way of course, because I don't get overly sappy on this day, I get more distracted with the romantic aspects through the food and the V-cards that the kids fill out for their class parties. Except this year- I can't wait to see where he'll take me...

Of course, there are more good things about him, you can see "It's Your Birthday, Charlie Brown" back in January.

More tomorrow...