The Suisse Family Robinson

Happy 27th Birthday, Reed!

In honor of Reed's birthday, the girls and I put together a list of 27 things we love about Daddy (Reed).

1. Happy Daddy, Grumpy Daddy. (This is a game that Reed plays with Lara. She tells him an emotion and he makes the face.)
2. He plays outside.
3. He makes everything into a game- going to bed, changing a diaper, eating, you name it, it's a game.
4. He pulls weeds, rearranges mulch, and generally comments on every landscaping detail... in a mall parking lot.
5. He is very handy around the house. He can fix leaky pipes, tile our floor, garden, carry heavy bookshelves, unclog toilets, etc.
6. He has good spatial awareness. He can look at a room and visualize a better way to arrange it. This also means that he is good at packing up boxes and packing up trunks. Everything fits neatly when he packs stuff.
7. Vivi's face lights up when Reed walks into the room.
8. He is quick to admit when he needs to work on certain aspects of his life.
9. He cooks.
10. He does the dishes every morning before I get up for work.
11. He works hard for our family- at work and at school.
12. He loves to sing and he has a wonderful voice which blends well. Lara loves singing with him and they do it quite often.
13. He can pick up his cello after years of not playing and sound like he has been practicing every day for months.
14. He magnifies his callings as a counselor in the Elder's Quorum, and a father. Sometimes it is hard to balance, but he does a wonderful job.
15. He is willing to help whoever is in need. About a month ago, one of our neighbor's came and asked him if he would clean up a dead bird that had appeared on her walkway. He's not the only guy around the area, but she must have known that he would be ready and willing.
16. He tries to keep up with his French speaking and I love it when he talks en francais avec Lara et moi.
17. Lara loves when Reed plays horsie with her. Especially when he sings Trot Trot while they're playing.
18. He has learned how to sing books in rhyme and Lara listens with rapt attention whenever he does. He could be a great music therapist :)
19. He makes up the best songs. In that respect, he's a better music therapist than I.
20. He does not like all the shows that I do (any show with dancing or reality shows) but I appreciate that he'll mostly keep the snarky comments to a minimum while I'm watching.
21. He knows that I jump at scary parts in movies so he offers his arm automatically when he knows one is forthcoming.
22. Vivi loves when Reed plays rhythm sticks with her or when he sings to her.
23. She also loves it when he kisses her cheeks.
24. He shaves his face just for me.
25. He calls me or writes me little notes at random times.
26. He scoops the cat litter.
27. We know that he loves us because he shows us every day.