Happy Birthday to the Man of the House

Handsome in Orange

Aaron turned 29 on Friday. Funny when you realize that 30 really isn't old at all. We had a great day. I gave him a couple shirts and a new penny whistle. He took one of the shirts back and-- with my help as personal shopper--was able to get 2 shirts and a scarf instead and only paid 5 dollars more! And FYI: a penny whistle is a celtic instrument (basically a glorified recorder) with a much prettier look and sound. My mom had one when we were home last and Aaron picked it up and figured out how to play a few hymns...now he is hooked! The one my mom let him have has been chewed on by Finn and has become a toy in our home so I bought him a newer, more legitimate looking one...and it sounds great!

I think he looks like Finn here...with a lot more hair of course!

On Friday evening, we used our brand new babysitting list (aka our singles ward directory) and had two wonderful girls from our ward watch Finn. We grabbed a bite to eat and saw "Ghost Town" in the dollar theater followed by some holiday shopping (where Aaron got three things for the price of one!). We loved the movie...it was so hilarious! I think Ricky Gervais (plays Michael in the British "Office") is so funny.
What a cute scout!

We came home and shared the yummy "Chocolate Blackout Cake" I made Aaron and visited with friends till late into the night. Aaron usually requests the chocolate cake from Costco on his birthday...but this year he let me make one from scratch and it turned out really yummy! We had such a great day.
Our fancy date in L.A. a couple months before he proposed

I know this post is already long, and we didn't get any pictures of the actual birthday :( but I want to end it with 29 things that I love about Aaron, in honor of his 29th birthday:

1. He makes me laugh
2. He laughs at my stupid jokes
3. He is the best dad ever and is usually more concerned about Finn's safety than I am
4. He is the biggest animal lover I know, but still thinks PETA is stupid
5. He serves me ALL THE TIME
6. He vacuums without being asked
7. He is a better cook than I am
8. He is the easiest person to get a long with ever
9. He loves board games
10. He knows all the words to the "Newsies" sound track
11. He's not embarrassed to sing all the words to the "Newsies" sound track
12. He makes friends easily and is kind to everyone
13. He's good with cars and has fixed ours a lot
14. He is informed and knows a lot about history and politics
15. He is a safe driver...which helps him be a safe pilot...which helps me sleep at night
16. He is a righteous priesthood holder
17. When he leaves for work in the morning, he always pretends to close the door and plays peekaboo with Finn a few times...and he always gets a kick out of it
18. He works hard every day so that I can stay home with Finn
19. He knows all the words to "Gangsta's Paradise" and sings it at full volume with me in the car
20. He is always willing to help out a friend
21. He likes to read as much as I do
22. He watches movies I like, even though he knows I'm going to fall asleep
23. He has always treated my family like his own
24. He can be surprisingly crafty and makes me awesome cards
25. He is so thoughtful and is constantly showing me he loves me
26. He always puts the toilet seat down...and usually has to remind me to put the lid down too
27. He likes amusement parks as much as I do
28. He likes to 'talk' to Finn on the phone
29. He is a great penny whistle and trombone player!

Every year we are married I learn more things that I love about this guy. Happy Birthday Aaron!