Kelly Ripa was showered with love as she marked the big 5-0 on Friday, October 2. Well-wishes flooded in from her famous friends, flowers and balloons filled her lavish NYC townhouse, but there was one glaring absence: her husband Mark Consuelos. The 49-year-old actor is hunkered down in Vancouver, finishing up the fourth season, and starting on the fifth, of Riverdale, and due to new COVID-19 protocols was unable to fly home.

While an actor’s life brings many perks, a downside is all the special engagements one has to miss. Mark seemed to do his best to make Kelly’s day special from afar, sending her a beautiful love note.

“Happy birthday to my little ray of sunshine,” Mark proclaimed on Instagram to his millions of followers, “I love you, sexy..” The sweet and spicy caption was accompanied by a collection of lovely photos. Kelly dazzles in the pictures, taken by the acclaimed photographer Miller Mobley. “Thank you baby wish we were together,” Kelly replied.

©@theyoungestyung

The couple’s daughter Lola, 19, shared a snippet of Kelly’s celebrations to her Instagram Story. She led followers through the elegant halls of their home to a foyer where her mom took in a stunning display of flowers and balloons. Although the sender is unknown, we wouldn’t put it past Mark to have been behind the gorgeous display!

Ahead of her special day, Kelly shared a snap of a coffee mug that read “Lordy Lordy Look Who’s 40.” She captioned it: “#TBT 2010 this coffee cup is almost ten years old. Almost.” Her former co-star Faith Ford added in the comments: “And you haven’t aged a bit!”

While he loves work, it’s clear Mark is counting down the days until he gets to be home with his family again. “1 month down...3 to go....missing my home team,” he wrote on Instagram this week along with some personal photos of him and Kelly.