Happy the one day a year that Hallmark suggests that we officially love someone in our lives and do so by bequeathing him/her with flowers, chocolates, stuffies holding puffy hearts, jewelry and three dollar cards.

So, we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day - or Sweetest Day for that matter, which, I hear is just a Midwest thing - but I had to give a shout out to Daddy Bean today.

How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…

…You let me use the bathroom before you do at night because you know I don’t like when you fall asleep before I do.
…You spent your first vacation in a couple of years in the middle of nowhere with my whole family and didn’t mind it one bit too much.
…You think I am an excellent mother, sister, daughter, wife, writer and singer. What! What?
…You think I am a great cook. (Note to self: have Daddy Bean checked for malfunctioning caliculus gustatorius)
…You are a dork just like me.
…You think I am funny.
…You give the best hugs.
…You’re taller than me. Not hard to do, but brownie points to you.
…You’re a hottie.
…You don’t protest too much when I drag you across the state to visit Meredith.
…You are a kick-ass daddy and your Beans love you.
…You let me have Sunday mornings to myself.
…You make sure I get to work on time.
…You iron my clothes.
…You let me dress you.
…You let me nap.
…You let me hold the remote control.
…You try weird foods when I bully you.
…You think I pack a great punch.
…You love dessert as much as I do.
…You gave me shots and kissed my boo boos; you produced under pressure and you held my hand when I woke up; you found out who the Wallaces really were; you rubbed my belly and eased my fears; you made the hospital your second home; you learned how to swaddle and change diapers before I did; you slept on an Aerobed; you didn’t give up. You gave me the Beans.

Love, love, LOVE.