Heavy/Getty HGTV's Ben and Erin Napier
The most important men in HGTV star Erin Napier‘s life both just celebrated milestone birthdays. Her husband and “Home Town” co-star Ben Napier turned 40 on September 24, 2023, and her dad, Phil Rasberry, turned 70 just days before.
Erin’s special guys shared a homemade birthday cake at a small gathering, she revealed in a sweet Instagram post over the weekend, which also included a shirtless photo of her “transformed” husband, who worked hard to lose weight and gain strength ahead of his 40th birthday.
Though she couldn’t quite match the level of gift Ben gave her for her recent birthday — her own art studio — her loving words for him showed how much she admires and adores him.
“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,” Erin wrote in her post. “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 what you need to know:
Fans Celebrate Ben Napier’s 40th Birthday & Marvel Over His Physical Transformation
In her birthday post, Erin wrote, “Lordy lordy Big Ben is 40! He and my daddy both had milestone birthdays this week!”
Thousands of fans liked and commented on the birthday post, including many who swooned over Ben’s physical transformation since losing 65 pounds in early 2023. Erin included a shirtless mirror selfie Ben took of himself in the home gym he created at their second home just outside of Laurel, Mississippi. He worked for months to trim down ahead of his rotator cuff surgery in March.
In the comment section, Ben quipped, “Hey, eyes up. 😏” which received lots of hundreds of likes and comments with laughing emoji or statements about how “hot” the father of two is now.
Others left comments letting Erin know they’re inspired by Ben’s dedication and attitude as he enters a new decade.
“Such a great compliment @erinapier,” one wrote. “We all need to ‘be more like Ben.’ Live in the present. My new favorite saying ‘I chose to live in my blessings'”
Another commented, “Happy Birthday Ben and Erin’s Dad! 🎂 Ben has brung such a beautiful light into the world! Really happy We found your family on the television 📺 Thanks for share yourselves with us! You can’t know how much it means… We’ve gone through a lot lately so again Thank You All!! 🎈🌻☀️🎉”
Many fans wished Erin’s dad a happy birthday, too. In 2022, she shared a throwback photo of her dad on Instagram and wrote that she regretted not taking more time growing up to snuggle and spend time with him.
Erin wrote, “My brother sent me this photo of Daddy that was taken some 15 years ago probably. He looks like my brother. He looks my age. I facetimed Daddy this morning when the girls woke up, and we go see him or he comes over about every other day. I’m realizing (especially after reading This Time Tomorrow by @emmastraub) how important it is to keep learning about our parents, to keep calling them, inviting them over for breakfast or supper.”
She continued, “I watch Ben’s face when the girls lean their heads into his shoulder and wrap their little arms around his neck and regret that I didn’t snuggle my dad more when I was little. Maybe I’ll try to start now. I guess it’s never too late?”
Ben Napier Built Wife Erin Napier an Art Studio for Her Recent Birthday
Erin didn’t share any more details about how she and Ben celebrated his 40th birthday. But for her 38th birthday on August 30, the woodworker went all out to give his wife exactly what she didn’t even realize wanted — her own art studio.
Under a series of photos of Ben creating a special space for her in their barn, Erin wrote, “For my birthday, he’s been sneaking out to the barn for a year slowly insulating, replacing structural beams, adding lights, cleaning out the cobwebs and piles of dirt, running down salvaged porcelain sinks, adding AC for the summer and a wood burning stove for the winter and then when it was all finished, brought in all the parts of our past lives that were in our loft.”
She continued, “My first business. My easel. The letter files. The desk built from the pieces of my mother’s family homestead. The glass from my studio door, Lucky Luxe.”
Erin wrote that Ben told her, “I wanted you to know that painting like you did before we had the girls isn’t so far away. One day you’ll have time again and it will be ready for you.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” she wrote. “But it’s something I desperately want to get back to. I wish every one of you a @scotsman.co in your life who really, completely, knows you.”
Erin was also touched by all the birthday love she received from her young daughters — Helen, 5, and Mae, 2 — and sweet treats from her favorite Loblolly Bakery, which Ben drove 30 miles to retrieve.