When I see young couples on their wedding day staring at each other down the aisle and swearing they've never been more in love, I want to pull them aside and say, "Just you wait.”
There have been moments in my relationship with my husband where I have fallen in love with him all over again. All those butterflies come fluttering back, and I'm suddenly a twitterpated teenager with googly eyes and cartoon hearts floating above my head.
The first time I was blindsided by love, Cody was in the basement playing bears with our three-year-old nephew. He smiled up the stairs at me and continued roaring and pawing his way around the basement like a little kid. Swoon! It's just one of those things guys do that girls love.
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And just last week I woke up to him bathing our two little squealing girls in the tub. As he came out of the bathroom holding a freshly bathed, towel-wrapped toddler, I gave him a look that said, "That right there is better than a cocktail, baby."
It seems that what's really swoon-worthy is when our partners do something totally out of character. The smallest things that make us fall in love with our partner all over again.
It’s as simple as having a tea party date with their little girl, or just holding their baby, carefully in their arms. This isn’t even just limited to babies and children. Seeing our guys holding their fur babies as if they are an actual child is a swoon-worthy moment.
Whether it’s wearing a piece of clothing because we got it for them, or even just reading to children, seeing our partners be lovable and warm-hearted in general makes our stomach filled with butterflies, like it did the first day we met. When I asked my friends for photos that illustrated these moments, they all knew exactly what I was talking about.
These little moments of vulnerability are the ones I cherish most in my own marriage. Moments where our heart is warm and we can feel small tears starting to well up in our eyes as we know that we’re exactly where we want to be and belong.
So to those young couples getting married soon, just know that you will fall more and more in love with your partner each day just from the simplest of things guys do that girls love. May we all have the privilege of being knocked breathless in love every once in awhile by our lovers.
1. Wearing a baby
Nothing gave me more pleasure than seeing my chubby little baby strapped to my big strong husband, and he knew it. Guys, do you have any idea the POWER you hold when you wear a baby? (Not to mention it's a spectacular way to bond with your bundle of joy.)
Photo: mary graham
2. Holding her doll's hands without shame
In my friend Mary's own words: "Everyone was holding hands in the mall and my daughter's baby doll felt lonely, so she told her daddy to hold the naked baby's hand. This lasted about 3-4 minutes. And my husband didn't think twice about it. Dads covered in tattoos holding baby doll hands? LET'S MAKE OUT."
3. Meeting his baby for the first time
This is my brother-in-law meeting my nephew for the very first time. He was so tired after helping my sister through labor, but all the stress and fear melted away as he gazed at his son and touched him for the very first time. He may be my sister's husband, but it still warmed my heart. I'm so grateful I captured this moment for her!
Photo: emily schwank
4. Braiding his daughter's hair
My daughters beg and cry for my husband to comb their hair, and I've learned it's because he treats their scalps like tender little butterflies. Seeing a guy who has had his head shaved our entire marriage try to manage the two mopsy heads of hair on our girls? Swoon!
Photo: ami bunker
5. Taking her sledding
In the words of my friend Ami: "Every time I look at this photo of my husband on a sled covered with small children, it makes me fall in love with him a little bit more." I know her husband, and I agree.
Photo: kirsten shaw
6. Enjoying game night
Game night is a highlight around here, and while this dad looks fed up with wearing a toaster on his head, he's taking one for the team. And you know that secretly he's having a really good time.
Photo: mary graham
7. Showing the dog some love
It doesn't always have to be human babies that make us weak in the knees. Sometimes just seeing the trust and adoration a pet has for the person you love most is its own aphrodisiac.
8. Getting along with the cat
My husband and my cat love each other so much it actually makes me jealous at times. Neither of them will ever admit to it, but I know. They even have a secret handshake.
9. Wearing the shirt his kid got him
I love picking up cool shirts, and 8 years ago my husband wouldn't have been caught dead in one. But somewhere in the last decade, he realized how happy it makes all of us to see him in something silly we picked out for him. I mean, who couldn't love a guy in a Pixar shirt?
Photo: lissi jones
10. Reading her a bedtime story
"I love this picture of Jeff, my husband, reading an American Girl book to our girls (all 3 are in the bed with him). This was taken on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It is wonderful and hilarious to hear a grown man reading 'blue skies in, gray skies out' and doing voices for conversations between preteen gymnasts." Dentist by day. Dramatic storyteller by night.
11. Taking a nap with his baby
"My kids don't nap with us, but I can promise you if one of them did I would take pictures to remember the moment forever. Instead, I have a lot of pictures of my husband napping with my cat." You really have to like someone in order to snooze with them, which makes this snooze extra special.
Photo: Meagan Francis
12. Pushing his kid around at the grocery store
Looking over and seeing this handsome man pushing a ridiculous cart shaped like a car filled with giggling children only to realize those are MY children and that is MY handsome man? Melt. I love this photo more than any wedding photo I have.
Photo: mary graham
13. Attending a daddy/daughter dance
"I have yet to witness a daddy/daughter dance. But when the time comes, I will be front row with tissues as my husband awkwardly sways around with his giddy little girls staring up at him."
Photo: amy sudbury
14. Welcoming his newborn to the world
I love my friend Amy's story behind this photo: "This is my love and my baby boy. I was already head over heels in love, but when he looked at our midwife and said, 'Wow, he is perfect,' it was very impactful."
15. Carrying his sleeping children
Nothing says selflessness quite like a carrying 30+ pounds of sleeping child across an amusement park. He's my favorite thing to sleep on, so seeing my girls comfortable and asleep on him too lets me know I made good life choices.
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