Erin Napier marks husband Ben's 40th birthday with pic of his transformation: 'You've worked so hard'
Erin Napier once said she had "never seen a finer boy" while sharing a throwback pic of her husband Ben Napier, whom she first met in college in 2004. Nearly two decades later, he still seems to give her butterflies.
Over the weekend, the "Home Town" star praised her main squeeze on his 40th birthday and shared a photo of him showing off his figure.
“Lordy lordy, Big Ben is 40! He and my daddy both had milestone birthdays this week! I want to be like you, @scotsman.co: never looking back or feeling sad about our youth getting further away, but always feeling so grateful for right now,” she captioned the post.
Erin Napier, 38, posted two photos along with the tribute: one of her husband and father holding up a sheet cake and another of Ben Napier posing shirtless in the gym.
"You’ve worked so hard this year to rehab your shoulder and transformed yourself in the process. The girls and I are so thankful for you. Here’s to 50 more birthdays together. I love you!" she wrote, referencing the rotator cuff surgery Ben Napier underwent in April.
Public displays of affection are routine for the sweet couple and they never miss an opportunity to remind the other of just how much they mean to each other.
So, how did the Napiers meet and how long have they been together? See a recap of their love journey below.
2004: The Napiers meet at Jones College
Erin and Ben Napier are college sweethearts. The couple met each other in 2004 when they were 19 and 21 respectively and attending Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi.
In 2022, Erin Napier posted a photo the couple posed for in the school's yearbook office, aka the exact location where they first met.
“Had lunch at our alma mater today, and took a picture in the spot where we met in the yearbook office. We were 19 and 21 and had no idea this is what our future would be like. Still my biggest crush,” she captioned the post.
2007: Ben Napier proposes to Erin Napier
In 2018, Erin Napier posted a throwback photo of her husband proposing in 2011.
"11 years ago a boy who had saved all the money he could set aside for 3 years surprised me at @squarebooks with a diamond ring and a little leather bound book he made himself. Thanks for this life and this adventure, @scotsman.co. ?? (photo: @malraz)," she wrote.
2008: The Napiers get married
On Nov. 22, 2008, Ben and Erin Napier became husband and wife when they tied the knot. Over the years, they have shared several throwback photos from their November nuptials.
In 2022, Erin Napier posted a carousel of images and the following loving caption for her hubby: “14 years ago today I got a new last name and my parents got another son. I am thankful every single day that God saw fit to make us a family, @scotsman.co.”
2016: 'Home Town' premieres on HGTV
HGTV viewers were first introduced to the Napiers in 2016 when their series "Home Town" premiered on the network. The talented duo quickly gained a loyal following with their charming Southern personalities and knack for breathing new life into local houses in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi.
2018: The Napiers welcome their first child
In October 2017, Ben and Erin Napier announced that they were expecting their first child, a baby girl who they planned to name after Erin Napier's grandmother. Flash forward to January 2018 and the Napiers became a family of three when their daughter Helen was born.
“My prayer for Helen is that she will be brave and kind. I pray that she will not be bullied the way I was, and that she will be a protector of the ones who are,” the new mom wrote in a blog post before her daughter's birth. “I pray that she will learn that from her father, the protector who loves the people in his life so well.”
2021: The Napiers welcome their second child
The Napiers made their daughter Helen a little sister in May 2021 when their second child, a baby girl named Mae, was born. The couple named Mae after Erin Napier's mom’s aunt.
The following year, the couple opened up to TODAY.com about the experience of becoming parents to two girls.
"We went through a period of grieving before Mae was born,” Erin, Napier said at the time. “I was just grieving our time as a family of three and thinking, ‘It will never be like this again.’”
Luckily, Mae's birth reassured the parents that their life was simply richer now that they had a second child.
“All of our worries were unfounded,” the mother of two said. “It feels like Mae was always there.”
2022: The Napiers make their TV film debut
Ben and Erin Napier flexed their acting muscles in 2022 and appeared in a Discovery+ holiday film titled "A Christmas Open House." They starred as Henry and Sarah Wright, a couple described as being “gifted at small town home restoration.”
April 2023: The Napiers reveal why they're 'never apart'
Some married couples enjoy their space, but the Napiers prefer to spend all the time together that they can. In April 2023, Erin Napier told "Entertainment Tonight" why the couple is "never apart."
“We’ve formed our adult identities around each other,” she said at the time.
Ben Napier went on to acknowledge that being around one another at all times might not work for other couples.
“We totally get that not everybody functions that way, but we do,” he said. “And it’s the only way we can.”
July 2023: The Napiers launch a nonprofit to help parents keep kids off social media
After vocalizing their desire to keep their daughters off of social media through high school, the Napiers launched their own nonprofit named Osprey in July 2023 to help other parents do the same thing. The following month, Erin Napier penned an essay for TODAY.com explaining their motivation.
"A lot of people are like, 'You’re so naive,' for thinking we can keep our kids off of social media and away from cell phones. But it’s not a forbidden fruit thing," she wrote. "We don’t intend to ever treat it that way for our girls. What we intend to teach them is that you can live the most incredible life, and you can do and see and be anything in the world, if you are not tethered to something fake."
July 2023: Ben Napier shows off his physique
Over the past year, Ben Napier has been focused on his fitness and health transformation, and his wife applauded him for his efforts in July 2023.
"@scotsman.co got hardcore about his health and fitness last winter ahead of his big shoulder surgery that was in march so he could sleep better on his back and lower his BP. mission accomplished ??," she wrote on Instagram.
September 2023: 'Home Town' is renewed for Season 8
Before Season Seven of "Home Town" even premiered, the show was renewed for Season Eight in September 2023. That means fans can expect a lot more from the Napiers in the year ahead!
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
