30 Things I bet you didn't know about Tyler

1) He always keeps empty water bottles in the fridge.

2) He loves Odwalla Superfood juice and has even convinced the kids that they love it too.

3) He shaves in the shower with no mirror and does a perfect job.

4) Tyler claims "Honey Stung Chicken" (isn't that the greatest name?) is the only good food that the hospital makes.

5) In elementary school, Tyler's favorite color was turquoise. (That's Tyler on the right with the Spiderman backpack... and two of those kids are not Nelsons...)

6) He got his most recent CD, Muse, from his brother (Dallin) for Christmas. Tyler loves it.

7) Tyler thinks budgeting means, "Let's not spend any money!"

8) I was engaged to a future high school Spanish teacher. But by the time we got married, Tyler's career path had changed to dentistry.

9) Tyler's current calling at church is 2nd counselor in the Sunday School Presidency.

10) When Tyler was in high school, he and his brothers would get up at 4am to drive out to the beach and play before their summer jobs.

11) Every day when Tyler comes home from work, he takes off his shoes at the door, immediately changes out of his scrubs, and then washes his hands for (what seems like) 10 minutes to fully disinfect. It's sad that we kind of ignore him when he walks in the door, but that's just the routine we've gotten into. After he's fully disinfected, we all proceed to shower him with love and hugs. The kids are never crying or in a bad mood, and a hot dinner is always on the table... riiiiiiiight.

12) Tyler sometimes will request "just a plate of fruits and veggies" for dinner because he's sick of eating greasy hospital food throughout the day.

13) His favorite dinner meals are Chinese Chicken Salad and Marshall's Pot Pie.

14) Tyler can pick out (or make up) harmony to any song on the planet. I can always count on him to provide a male descant of some sort at our family nights.

15) Tyler is a pizza connoisseur. I love trying out new pizza shops with him and hearing his critique of the pizza, sauce, and toppings. At home, he makes a delicious BBQ chicken pizza. Mmmm.

16) Tyler will be the last to admit it, but he has gotten so smart over these last few years of residency. He has turned into a walking brain. Oh wait... this is supposed to be a list of things you didn't know about Tyler... :) 

17) He is always up for an adventure and loves to surprise the kids with a new park, hike, or bike trail.

18) If he could go anywhere for a vacation, he would go on a cruise. Not sure where exactly... but definitely some place with beaches.

19) Since we don't have cable, Tyler likes to unwind at the end of the day with random YouTube videos.
Every now and then, he finds a video that has us laughing so hard that we practically wet our pants. The most recent one: a Mad TV spoof of "Deal or No Deal." (Click if you dare)

20) The longer Tyler works at the hospital, the less enamored he is with the state of California.

21) The kids love it when Tyler hides under the covers with them to tell them scary stories.

22) When Tyler was growing up in Barstow, California, he and his brothers grew out "rat tails" on their hair. SICK!!!! I doubt it was this long, and I'm sure his mother would never allow blue... but STILL!! BARF!

23) Tyler never loses at Jenga--a game our family plays often.

24) He has wonderfully straight teeth and never had braces.

25) Tyler is a chatty guy. I love staying up late with him and listening to him talk about work, our future, politics, or other things on his mind.

26) Tyler isn't particular about many things, but one thing I have been banned from buying is his deodorant. Somehow I always pick up the worst scents. Probably b/c I'm looking to buy whatever is on sale... Whoops!

27) Annie can do no wrong in Tyler's eyes. He can imitate all of the things she says perfectly.

28) Tyler is a great influence on Cole and is a wonderful father to him. Moms just can't rough-house with little boys like daddies can.

29) Tyler is constantly teaching Whitney new things. I tend to just smile and pat Whitney on the back when she attempts to write words, but Tyler will sit down and teach her why the words were wrong and how to better sound them out next time. I am learning from him.

30) Tyler is still awesome at Spanish. The other day a co-worker (who is Mexican) couldn't think of the Spanish word for "nightmare." Tyler told him what it was and after making a friendly wager over a bag of Skittles, Tyler walked away with the candy. Boo-yah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, TYLER!! Welcome to the 30s!