Mike is so sick. Fever, chills, aching, coughing, stuffy head... is this beginning to sound like a commercial? Still, the last two days he has jumped out of bed at 6 in the morning and headed out to work a 12 hour day. His job (painting) is very physical, plus there is the added annoyance of the fumes. I don't know how he does it.

He was leaving this morning and asked me to make him some tea with lemon and honey instead of coffee. His face was beaded with sweat and I could tell he was miserable. Did he complain? No. In fact, he was trying to make ME feel better.

When the going gets tough, I can always count on Mike. He is an AMAZING man!

Working.  

Mike taking a picture of me taking a picture of him

We had a great time today, celebrating his birthday like grown ups. We ate out, gambled a little, listened to music and checked out a car show.

I love that the runners showed up on the right hand side of this picture.

Mike took Mia shopping last night, even though it was his birthday and he HATES shopping. She got some dress shoes to wear on the trip, a pillow and a new outfit. I love that he tries to make her feel special, even though she isn't (biologically) his. She was really excited to leave on her trip this morning. I gave her a ride at 3:30 in the morning. Mike made a point to get out of bed and drink a cup of hot chocolate with her before she left. :-)

Today Mike turns 41. He always amazes me with just how much he can do ~ and how well he does it. I can say without hesitation that he is a better husband, better father and better man than he was ten years ago. Every day, he goes out of his way to tell me how much he loves me. The kids adore him. I am so thankful that he is in my life.

I love you, honey... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Busted! 

Mike outside the Field of Dreams. This is his last day being 40. Can't wait for tomorrow!!! 

Mike fixed the bed. This time, he made sure we will never have to deal with it again. He cut four new slats, 12" wide and screwed them into the frame. He added six supports under them and a brace on the broken corner.

The bad news is that we will NEVER be able to move the bed. But the good news is that the bed will NEVER move under us!

Thanks, Mike.

Well, she's done it again! Just in time for Mike's birthday, Julie has given I LIKE MIKE a facelift. When she asked what I wanted, I told her "something dark and romantic, more whips and chains than fuzzy bunnies". I think she did a great job and Mike loves it (which is the most important thing!).

I had two bushes in post on either side of the gate. They had buds for the longest time, but wouldn't bloom. Mike told me that if we planted them in the ground, they would bloom right away. I didn't believe him. He planted them in the ground and they bloomed the next day.

He wanted to prune my rosebushes back. The leaves were starting to grow and he told me to cut them all off. I didn't want to, but I did. Now the bushes are full of new growth and look ten times better than before I cut them.

Don't you hate it when someone is always right?

[and by someone, I mean Mike]

Mike used to hate Sundays. Late Saturday night, he would start getting grouchy and by mid afternoon the next day he would be impossible to be around. Sundays were symbolic of going back to work/school and the end of the fun. Just this morning, as he rollled out of bed, he told me that Sundays didn't suck anymore. Because I had made them so fun.... *smile*

Every Sunday, Mike gets to sleep in and watch tv in bed. I bring him coffee and he gets a chance to relax. If he has to work, he gets a late start. I go to the local grocery and buy donuts and menudo for breakfast. We watch fishing and golf. If the weather is good, we spend the day outside.

Today, Mike cleaned up the yard and put up the basketball goal for the kids. We had a barbeque and now we are watching movies together (Ransom).

I love this man!

Mike takes a break from faux finishes at one of the custom homes he is painting. 

My baby's home! 

Mike watches Mikal Jade at her first basketball practice

Mike was so good at sports when he was in school. Of course, I wasn't around because I was living in a different city and I'm nine years younger.... But I've heard all the stories! And he has a lot of trophies, letters and awards so I tend to believe him. Now that the kids are older and starting to be more involved in sports he really gets excited about what they are doing. This is the first real sport or activity that Mikal has been involved in.

She did a great job today, just check out that smile on Dad's face!

I am so worried about Mike. Last night, he was having a lot of chest pain. I could tell he was hurting, but he wouldn’t go to the doctor. Then he asked me for an aspirin. The only reason he would need an aspirin is if he thought he was having a heart attack. I couldn’t find any. “Please, go buy me some. Right now. Hurry.” Not the words you want to hear from the love of your life. I bought a bottle from the grocery store and he took a couple right away. He seemed to get better. Then he got worse. He won’t go to the doctor. We don’t have insurance. I know what he is thinking. If he goes in and they tell him there is something wrong, he might not be able to work. And our money situation is not so good right now. If he doesn’t work, we are going to be in a world of hurt financially.

But what good will it do if he works himself into an early grave?

The kids were playing outside and the two little ones jumped on top of Mica. She came in crying because her shoulder hurt. It was dislocated and I didn't have a clue about what to do. Mike was so great. He stayed very calm and had her move her arm into different positions. Then, he carefully popped it back into place. What a great dad. I was sure we were headed for a long night at the emergency room.