Happy Birthday Zuddy!!!

My sweet Zuddy is having his birthday today! I don't say a whole lot about Zuddy in my blog, so let me introduce you:

Everyone? This is Zuddy......

(with Louie and Noodle last year)

Zuddy? The people reading this blog are my friends, the Internets! You might even know some of them in real life. Like Amy, MJ, the LOVELY Michelle (Dude's wife).

I'm going to tell you about my Zuddy.

• We met 15 years ago at our HS reunion. I knew who he was in high school. He was the long-haired, guitar-playing, leather and chain wearing, druggie smoker-dude. While I was a cheerleader at the pep-fest? Zuddy was skipping the pep-fest in favor of smoking cigarettes across the street from the school. He had a bad-boy hotness about him, though.
• There was NO way I was going to date him......even if he was funny. He still had long hair and he actually quit HS (and got his GED). Nope. He was NOT for me. Plus, he's from my hometown, and I wasn't having any of THAT.
• We talked the entire night. I don't think I talked to anyone else - I'll go into all of this at another time.
• Well, thank GOD I'm an open-minded girl, because I landed myself a TREASURE, people!
• Zuddy is my other half. We think completely alike in all the big areas of life: parenting, honesty, religion, politics, human rights. But it's the little but oh-so important things where I learn from him: how to love someone completely and unconditionally. How to not FREAK OUT about things. How to THINK before you speak (I'm still working on this one.), How to never say something that will hurt someone (still working on this.....). He is remarkably kind-hearted.
• Zuddy is sooooo funny and quick-witted! He keeps me laughing EVERY DAY. I mean really hard belly laughs, people.
• My family likes him better than they like me.
• He loves children.....LOVES them. Especially babies. He has the most gentle, calming touch. Babies love him.
  
  (here he is with sweet baby Braden, my buddy Kim's little boy)

• He's an AMAZING daddy. He's gentle, likes to hang with his girl in the garage, take her camping and to work. He'll do anything for her....he'll make her a special dinner and let her cut his hair:

(Zuddy as a Dr. Phil-style power ranger)

(Breakfast for dinner, ala Zuddy.)

• He'll do sweet little things, like email me during the day to say thank you for the dinner last night, or puts a craft-foam heart on the coffee maker so I see it first thing in the morning.
• He'll take Noodle to the bus stop in the morning so I can blog. Even though it's my job to take her.
• He reads my blog and sometimes comments.
• He works really hard for us.
• He takes over the parenting duties when he notices that I'm tired.....without me having to ask him.
• He encourages me to be with my girlfriends.
• He buys me ice cream and puts it in the freezer without telling me.
• He still looks at me like I'm beautiful, even though I've gained a gazillion pounds since he met me.
• He kisses my forehead I can feel the love......I feel it.
• He loves his "girls".
• He never yells. He just doesn't. He rarely gets angry. He's a gentle soul.
• He tucks me into bed.

I could go on and on......I just want to tell my sweetie "Happy Birthday" and "I love you!" and "You're amazing".