Cakeman

I would guess that anyone who even remotely knows my husband would consider him a “manly man”. He loves sports – football, basketball, soccer, golf. He loves the outdoors – hunting, camping, fishing, hiking. And most other pursuits guys often associate themselves with – NASCAR, snowboarding, wakeboarding, remodeling our home. For as long as I have known him he has been the quintessential guy’s guy.

I have learned over the years that as typical as these sorts of men can be they can occasionally throw a curve ball at you – like, have some random little tiny softer side that you never would have expected. My friend’s husband, for example, paints her toenails for her – totally surprised me. My uncle used to be the one who braided my cousin’s hair. And did it quite well I might add.

Now, while Ross can be all kinds of sweet to our children and me, I have never really found that one random – dare I say, slightly more feminine – trait that contradicts the rest of his entire personality. Until now. The signs were there; I guess I just never noticed them.

Six years ago, when we were still somewhat newlyweds, my birthday was approaching. My parents, for reasons I cannot remember, announced they would be out of town for my birthday. In a slightly pouty manner, I am sure, I whined to Ross about not having anyone to make me a birthday cake. Lo and behold when my birthday came around, Ross – Mr. I don’t know how to cook and have never baked anything in my life, made me a beautiful Rocky Road Chocolate birthday cake.

Although I think he may have made that cake again for me somewhere along the line those skills had mostly been retired until last March when I asked him for a little engineering help with Tyler’s dinosaur cake. I was surprised and amazed how into it he was. What a perfectionist he was. How he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

Cut ahead to last night. We had a date night planned. Well, not really planned, more like we had a grandma available to watch the kids. As we threw around ideas of where to eat and the cloud of knowing everything I needed to do before Bailey’s birthday party hung heavy in my mind I suggested maybe we could just grab a quick bite to eat and use our kid-free time to work on Bailey’s cake together. And wouldn’t you know he took me up on it.

Actually he more than took me up on it. He ran away with it. He worked on the cake with precision, questioning my ideas, giving design input, working and re-working the fondant until he thought it was perfect. A little part of me was wondering, “hey, wasn’t this my idea” but a much bigger part was thinking, “this guy is amazing”. Don’t tell anyone, but I think he actually may be better at cakes than I am! He is way pickier, he’s a total perfectionist and the truth is he’s good.

So here’s the product of our date night - a good part of it the crafty art of a wonderfully manly man who indeed has a curve ball of his own. But even more than a passionate cake decorator this man is a passionate daddy who gives his very best to the two little ones in his life. Happy Birthday, Bailey and Happy Father’s Day, Cakeman!