How Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have publicly professed their love

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were both in serious relationships when they met on the set of the 2011 sci-fi flick "Green Lantern." But fast-forward a few years and the co-stars became more than just friends after Ryan divorced wife Scarlett Johansson and Blake split from boyfriend Penn Badgley. The lovebirds, who tied the knot in 2012, have been pretty vocal about their strong feelings for one another ever since and their declarations of love have continued to intensify since becoming parents to daughters James and Inez. With Blake's 31st birthday coming up on Aug. 25, here are all the times — and ways — that they've publicly professed their adoration for one another.

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Ryan felt "fireworks" with Blake during awkward double date

Ryan Reynolds gushed about the first time he felt romantic chemistry with Blake Lively, with whom he'd become good friends while working on "Green Lantern." "We were buddies then," he said during an appearance on Entertainment Weekly's Sirius XM radio show in 2016. "It was funny because about a year after 'Green Lantern' had come and gone and all of that stuff, we went on a double date. She was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl." Ryan felt a spark at the dinner table, but not with the woman he'd brought along. "That was like the most awkward date, from their perspective probably, because we were just like fireworks coming across."

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Ryan made Blake the star during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony

Getting a star on the sidewalk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a pretty big deal, but for Ryan Reynolds, nothing was as great as finding the love of his life. He copiously thanked his wife, Blake Lively, during his speech at his 2016 star ceremony. "You are the best thing — the best thing — that has ever happened to me, second only to this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame," Ryan joked. "You make everything better — absolutely everything — in my life better." And he didn't stop there. Ryan went on to praise Blake for blessing him with daughters and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a parent. "You've given us two of the most incredible children that I could ever hope to have," he added. "You've made me the father of my dreams when I thought I only had fun uncle potential. So thank you. I love you."

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Ryan says Blake's made him a better person

Ryan Reynolds had no qualms about sharing his appreciation for Blake Lively in front of an entire ballroom of celebrities at the 2017 Met Gala. When Humans of New York chose to spotlight the couple at the event, Ryan directed all of the attention to his wife's compassionate nature in a letter thanking Blake for helping him overcome issues with his now-deceased dad. "She always responds with empathy. She meets anger with empathy. She meets hate with empathy. She'll take the time to imagine what happened to a person when they were 5 or 6 years old," he wrote in the heartfelt message. "And she's made me a more empathetic person. I had a very fractured relationship with my father. Before he died, she made me remember things I didn't want to remember. She made me remember the good times."

Blake has mad respect for Ryan as a man

Blake Lively was so confident in Ryan Reynold's character that she wasn't afraid to predict how wonderful of a family man he would be before they even had children. "He's going to be a great father and leader and patriarch. He's so meant to be all of those things," she said in a 2014 interview with Vogue. "The fact that he lived so much before we got together, he's the exact realized person that he should be. And so I get to share my life with the person he's become, and we get to grow from there." That's mad respect right there!

Ryan got sentimental about Blake across the airwaves

Ryan Reynolds might think that he's not all about public professions of love, but he sure fooled us when he got super-sentimental about Blake Lively and their first daughter, James, on "Late Night With David Letterman" in 2015. "I'm not one for vomiting declarations of sentiment out across the airwaves," he claimed, "but when we had that baby, I fell more in love with my wife than I'd ever been in my entire life. I couldn't even believe it." Ryan doesn't even have a problem stepping aside to give credit where it's due when it comes to his wife and proudly commended her for dealing with the responsibility of breastfeeding. "I'm just a diaper-changing facility hooked up to a life-support system, but my wife, she's breakfast, lunch and dinner," he told the late-night host. "She's a human Denny's all day long, and it never ends for her. She's the most beautiful Denny's you've ever seen though, I guarantee it." Who would have thought that being compared to a Denny's could be a term of endearment?

Blake swoons over Ryan on Instagram

Blake Lively likes to remind her 22.3 million Instagram followers just how much she loves Ryan Reynolds from time to time. For instance, she captioned a 2017 photo that was taken while she was wearing a sequined basketball jersey while on a date with her hubby, "the balls to my basket." And she celebrated Ryan on his 40th birthday with a sweet post about keeping their romance alive at their favorite eatery, O Ya. "We fell in love at your restaurant in Boston. We stay in love at your restaurant in NY," she wrote alongside a photo of the couple dining out in 2016. She added, "Hey, Reynolds, I like you a whole lot. Just sayin' …" Social media swoon!

Ryan includes Blake in his award-show speeches

Ryan Reynolds rarely forgets to thank Blake Lively when he's accepting an award for his blockbuster projects. In fact, the first thing that he did onstage at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards was acknowledge his wife. "I want to thank my wife, Blake," he said after winning for "Deadpool" in the best comedic performance category. "Everything I do is to make her laugh, especially the sex!" Ryan's little joke at the end came as no surprise because the couple is actually just as good at getting mushy about their relationship as they are at poking fun at one another.

Blake says she has a one-of-a-kind friendship with Ryan

Blake Lively opened up about her very special bond with Ryan Reynolds to the readers of Marie Claire magazine. "I knew he would always be my best friend for my whole life," she gushed in a 2016 interview. "That was the biggest thing to me. I'd never known anything like the friendship that I had with him. I could like him as much as I loved him." Being in like and in love must make their relationship doubly solid.

Ryan brags about Blake's talents

It's evident that Ryan Reynolds is wildly proud of Blake Lively's talents because he justifiably brags about them whenever he gets the chance. Ryan has dished on everything from his wifey's design skills to her knack for walking the red carpet. "I have such a respect for those who have a true architectural-design talent," he told People magazine in 2016, "and my wife has that superpower." The same year, he paid Blake a high compliment by comparing her to Beyonce when it comes to strutting her stuff. "My wife knows how to work a red carpet, I'll say that," he said during a talk with AOL Build. "Yeah, she might be the Beyonce of red carpets. She's turned that into an athletic event."

Blake's likewise bragged about Ryan's accomplishments

Blake Lively is just as proud of Ryan Reynolds as he is of her in life. When her man recently started his own line of gin, she jumped at the chance to praise his big accomplishment on social media. "Best friend. Owner of @aviationgin. Sexy AF. Here's lookin' at you, kid," she wrote on Instagram following the brand's 2018 launch party. Those sure are a whole lot of compliments packed into one line.

Blake can't say enough about Ryan as a father

Blake Lively was put on the spot when "Today" show hosts Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb asked her if Ryan Reynolds was really involved in diaper duty like he'd claimed in a prior interview. But she had no problem answering honestly because, as it turns out, her husband is actually very hands-on with their daughters. "He's does love the dirty work," she revealed during the 2016 talk show. "He's great and he's so fun about it. The other day, we were changing diapers and he said, 'You've got to get rid of it,' and I said, 'OK,' and he goes, 'No, not the diaper, the child.'" A man that will not only change a diaper but do it with a smile is a real catch. "The Shallows" star added, "He's my best friend and he's just the best father in the whole world."

Blake's admitted she and Ryan are inseparable

Figuring out how to get in alone time can be hard for any couple, but Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds still manage to stay close and connected despite both having busy work schedules. "My husband and I don't work at the same time, so we all go together as a family," she told People magazine in 2017. "If we're away as a family, it's never more than for a day. We stay together." On the off chance that they can't make traveling together work, Blake still won't leave her man's side for too long. "We've never gone a week without seeing each other," she revealed in a 2016 interview with Marie Claire. "There's no major decision that I make without him. The best part is when we turn off our phones and just talk and hang out. He's my best, best friend. What do you do with your best friend? You do nothing."

Blake reveals her secret to happiness with Ryan

When you're as seemingly happy as Blake Lively is in her marriage, sharing the secret to success is much appreciated. In 2016, the former "Gossip Girl" star clued in "Entertainment Weekly" Sirius XM listeners about what she believes has kept her relationship afloat for all these years. "What I appreciate about our relationship is that he really is, he's my friend first and foremost still, you know," she explained. "Not just in our history, but in everyday life, he is my friend first. And I think that's the secret to happiness." Blake did make sure to add that her take on marriage might not apply to everyone. "I don't know the secret to happiness, but [that's] the secret to my happiness," she added.

Ryan's praised how Blake handled childbirth

Ryan Reynolds gave Blake Lively major props for how well she handled the birth of their first daughter, James. "My wife is the real, I mean, she is a mercenary," he said on "Conan" back in 2015. "At one point in the middle of the delivery, the doctor's cell phone went off and she said, 'Oh, no. Go ahead, take a personal call. Feel free.' She was cracking jokes in the delivery room. She may have been on drugs, but I don't ask personal questions." Kudos to Blake for getting through labor with a smile and a sense of humor.

Blake gets candid about resolving conflicts with Ryan

No marriage is perfect. Blake Lively got candid about how she and Ryan Reynolds deal with conflict in a healthy manner during a 2017 interview with Glamour. "In other relationships, if something came up, I would call my girlfriends or my sister, and say, 'Hey, this is what he did. What should I do,'" she began. "Where with [Ryan], we were friends for two years before we were ever dating. And I treat him like my girlfriend. I'm like, 'Hey, this happened. It upset me. This is how I feel. What do I do?'" Even better, the approach seems to be mutual. Blake continued, "And he does the same for me. He treats me like his best buddy." That's what a loving partnership is all about, right?