Happy 40th Birthday Frank!

In the spirit of celebration, 40 things I love about Frank for his 40th Birthday

1) He is always up for a good challenge. The harder, the better and he almost never turns one down. This has come in handy on numerous occasions throughout our marriage!
2) He is the voice of reason in a sea of chaos. He is truly at his sharpest when there are a zillion things going on and the proverbial poop has hit the fan. Those calm looks of reassurance have lifted me up more times than I can count.
3) He looks pretty damn good in a speedo which, of course, is the reason I married him. However it should be noted that he is a swimmer which is the only acceptable reason for a man to ever wear a speedo, even if he looks as good as my husband.
4) He will play soccer, kickball, toss water balloons and ride scooters for hours on end with the neighborhood kids and they LOVE it! Our own kids think they've hit the jackpot when dad comes out to rally the troops.
5) He loves and greatly respects both his mom and his dad. A good, strong foundation upon which to build a family.
6) He loves my mom like his own. They even call each other to chat when I'm not around! She's quite partial to him as well.
7) He's got a great ass! It has to be said.
8) He's invested in our future. He is always working to ensure we'll be financially prepared to put four kids through college and retire young enough to enjoy our empty nest.
9) He's adventurous! We've done more crazy, interesting things in our eight years together than I've done in my whole life before he came along!
10) I love the way he looks at me. I always feel cherished and adored, even when I'm at my most vulnerable. I love that other people take notice and share the same observation with me too.  
11) His passion for athletics. I love that he encourages our kids to be actively involved in a sport at all times. It has given our children so many great friends, experiences and invaluable life lessons. It's also pretty cool that he's good at almost every sport he tries. Except paddle boarding. I'm WAY better than he is. Same with Quarters. I can smoke him like a cheap cigar. (Quarters counts as a sport right?)
12) He's a gentleman. Frank always opens doors for the girls and I and teaches our boys to do the same. It makes my heart swell when I see my son scoot ahead of us so that he can usher his mom and sisters inside the proper way.
13) He is really good at cards. I actually don't like this about him all of the time because I hate to lose but he'll always indulge me with a quick game of gin. That I love!
14) He sucks at scrabble. I've got to have the upper hand at something!
15) He's determined. I remember when we were just a few weeks out from our first Silverman and had people flying in from all around the world to race. The panic was setting in and I asked him "How are we going to pull this off?" He responded, "Because I won't let us fail." And he was right.
16) He absolutely treasures our kids and they know it. What more could I ever ask for?
17) He has great taste in music. Thank heavens we're on the same page here because we rock out a lot in this house!
18) He loves to fish. I love to fish. No small talk. Just cast, reel, drink beer, repeat.
19) He's got great soccer player/runner legs. The downside of this is that if we're ever stranded on a deserted island he'd be the first to go. We could feed a small army with the amount of meat on that man's thighs.
20) He thinks I'm funny. There's a lot of laughing going on around here because I give him ample opportunities to listen to what I have to say!
21) He's funny too. Even when he's not. he totally thinks he is, which is funny. Whoever said 'laughter is the best medicine' was really on to something.
22) He's a caretaker. If a friend or sibling is ever in a jam he is the first to offer financial and emotional support or service. He will always make a sacrifice to help someone in need. 
23) He is an Air Force Veteran. I'm so proud that he served our country honorably and my oh my does he ever make those dress blues look fancy!
24) He makes Tuesday Date Night a priority every week! In the last year we have not missed a single one unless one of us was traveling. With four kids that's no small feat! If a sitter cancels he takes the initiative to find a fill in and somehow lucks out every time!
25) He makes breakfast in the morning. Yes. Every. Single. Morning. And we're not talking cold cereal here. This man whips up biscuits from scratch, breakfast burritos, omelets, waffles, grits and eggs, you name it!
26) He also brings me coffee in bed! I know. I'm totally spoiled.
27) He hardly ever wins at Rock, Paper, Scissors which is HUGE because it decides who changes diarrhea diapers, who has to answer an unwanted phone call and who gets up to refill our drinks.
28) He sort of just 'gets it' with women. I'm sure having six sisters has everything to do with this and it's been a great blessing in our marriage. There are very few 'girly things' that ruffle his feathers. Never once have I been made to feel like a loony bin during a pre or post pregnancy related hormonal meltdown even though i was, in fact, a total loony bin. Likely, watching six girls go through puberty offers a pretty unique perspective into the female psyche. Thanks Seesters In-Law for paving the way!
29) He can fall asleep anywhere. As I write this I'm crossing my fingers that I can find the picture of him sleeping on a pumpkin to share with you. There's no practical reason for loving this about him other than it's darn good entertainment.  
30) He is an amazing helper. The longer I'm married to this man the more I appreciate this trait because I'm learning how rare it is to find. Frank has never, ever balked at helping me with anything around the house: laundry, dishes, bathing kids, cooking dinner, changing crappy diapers (OK...some balking here but totally justified), unloading groceries, sweeping, anything. More often then not I don't even have to ask for his help. He just does. My favorite? When I'm leaving with the kids and he stops what he's doing to help me shuffle them out the door, buckle them in, double check my diaper stash and wave us off with blown kisses.
31) He fills my gas tank AND gets my car detailed every month.
32) He thinks I'm brilliant and loves to brag about my 6th grade IQ score even though no one gives a rip about what I did in Elementary School. It's acutely embarrassing but he's so sincerely proud that I find it endearing.
33) He's a great coach and has a very special gift of pushing people beyond what they thought they were capable of without breaking them down. 
34)  He is a homebody. When he is not working, he'd rather be at home with his family than anywhere else or with anyone else. I love that he's perfectly happy just being in our little world.
35) He's a total softy. It cracks me up that so many people find him intimidating because I just see him as this sweet, lovable guy who gets teary over chick flicks and turns to putty over new babies and puppies. 
36) He has a deeply rooted faith. Even though we are 'holiday Catholics' there is strong devotion in him that I relate to and really appreciate.
37) He likes my friends. Or at least tries to! He wants to get to know them and recognizes the important role they play in my life.
38) He doesn't watch football, he watches the highlights on Sports Center. Who cares about the rest of the game anyway! Do you know how many Sunday's we enjoy because we're not glued to a TV set? Three cheers for football free Sundays!
39) He gives killer back rubs. Nice and long, no strings attached.
40) He just keeps getting better with age. Not just cuter, but more mellow, accepting, humble, open minded, appreciative, grounded and loving.

Another 40 years with this guy and I'll be a pretty happy camper.

Happy 40th Birthday Babe! I love you to pieces!