My hubby's birthday was officially today, (he's 31!) but we celebrated last night. While my parents watched Brooke, we went out for dinner at Olive Garden. (thanks to my brother's gift card he gave me for my birthday 3 weeks ago!) It's the nicest Olive Garden we have, and that I've actually ever been to, and we were able to enjoy our dinner out on the terrace. :) It has views of the water and a courtyard with a waterfall. I tried something new, while Ryan had his tried-and-true, and we really just enjoyed ourselves.
After picking Brooke up, Ryan opened his gift, and and blew out the candles on his Kentucky pie. (Ryan's request in lieu of a birthday cake--it's a Paula Deen recipe.. totally healthy!) After Brooke was in bed, we took our slices of pie out on to the deck. With a citronella candle to give us light and ward off the bugs, we spent a good hour out there.
I fixed him a good breakfast this morning, and included a slice of his birthday pie with his lunch to take to work. Before leaving, he thanked me for making it a special birthday. :) But really, my life wouldn't be so special and blessed without him in it. Happy Birthday, honey!
Here are a few pictures from last night:
Ryan's birthday display :)
Ryan at dinner ~
Me at dinner ~
And! Here are some pictures of Brooke that I took this morning (9 months, 5 days old)
Note: she HATED pacis until she was 8 months old! Now, she loves them, and sleeps with one every time.
So HAPPY!
Oh, how I love her
Look at meeeee
My sweet Brooke Avery~
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
(P.S. - Michelle, I was so happy to hear from you! I've been wondering how you're doing. :) Feel free to send me an e-mail, cause I can't leave you a comment.)
Ah, there's nothing like a long weekend, and an extra day for family time! Saturday was absolutely beautiful, so we took the opportunity to take the bicycle trailer out for a spin for the first time. We rode just for about 15 miles, before it was clear that we needed to get home to put Brooke down for a nap. :) She absolutely LOVED it, until she got tired and cranky, and I'm excited to use it a lot this summer. I had wanted the harder workout, so Ryan attached the trailer to my bike... and let me tell ya, it was definitely a harder workout! The straightaways were fine, but with any sort of incline I could definitely tell I was lugging roughly 40 pounds behind me. :)
On Memorial Day, I made Belgian waffles, and we ate breakfast out on our deck. Ryan brought up our flag from the garage, and we just enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Later in the day, we went over to my parents' house for a cookout with everything from burgers and hot dogs to watermelon and cantaloupe.
Brooke's top teeth are easier to see now, and it's just absolutely adorable. She's getting so big. She just started to scoot across the floor on her rear-end, and also to crawl... backwards. :) Believe it or not, crawling backwards is progress! She'll get it soon enough. :) I'll have pictures soon, but not today. Hope you all are doing well!
My father-in-law's birthday was this past Monday, so we left early on Saturday and spent the day and part of Sunday visiting with Ryan's family. To celebrate, he wanted to spend the afternoon exploring Natural Bridge, which is exactly what we did. In spite of predictions, the weather was warm, sunny, and GORGEOUS, which made it a perfect afternoon to be outdoors. I hadn't been to the Natural Bridge in probably about 10 years, so it was great to see again! We ended up walking over 2 miles to get to the furthest stop, Lace Waterfall.
Here are some pictures! (all taken by Dad S., since Ryan manned the stroller, and I used our DVD recorder)
Natural Bridge (and me recording)
Part of our group :)
Beautiful scenery
Lace Waterfall ~
Ryan, Brooke & I in front of the falls (Brooke was SO tired)
Ryan, Jamin & Kendra
Brooke didn't sleep well while we were gone, and I ended up being up with her in her room at 2:30 in the morning, decided to stay with her, and was pretty much up from 6 AM on, while she slept in bed with me. Needless to say, she was EXHAUSTED, and slept a lot on Sunday afternoon, and still was catching up on Monday.
All tuckered out
While she was awake, though, we took a blanket and her box of toys outside, and spread out in the front lawn.
Brooke enjoying the wild outdoors
Life is busy, but we're all doing well. :) Ryan's birthday is next Friday, which I'm very excited about. (probably more than he is) Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
(P.S. Dear "anonymous" (cowardly) commenter: I hope that you are ashamed of the cruel, hurtful things you said about me. You insulted me on every level--attacking my abilities as a mother and wife are absolutely appalling. Online journals are a blessing and a curse, because you're able to keep relatives and friends up to speed with your life and your child, yet complete strangers seem to believe they know you because of a few words they read on a computer screen. Let me make it clear that you do not know me, and do not know my life's circumstances. Based on your comment you left me, you clearly could have nothing in common with me, which makes me wonder why you bothered reading my journal in the first place. My husband and I have traditional values, and I have to say that I was not aware that my child does not need me anymore simply because she's "almost a year old already." I guess I should let someone else raise her now? In the future, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your negative advice to yourself. )
My 25th birthday was full of sweet surprises. It wasn't even a single "day," either, since the celebrating started Thursday, when my Mom took Brooke and I to Cheesecake Factory, and didn't end until Saturday.
Here are a few pictures from our lunch on Thursday ~
Brooke and I ~
Cheesecake Factory gives kids 3 and under a free plate of sliced bread and bananas--it kept her happy the entire time!
The Happy Birthday cheesecake Mom & I split
On Friday, my Mom watched Brooke while I set off to get a french manicure at a spa, armed with a gift card my husband gave me for Valentine's day this year which I had been saving for a special occasion. I have to say, it was the most enjoyable manicure I've ever had. Ryan loves when I get french manicures, (which I've only gotten twice, one of which was for our wedding) so I thought I'd surprise him. I think they're pretty and elegant, but they start chipping after 2 whole days. :) I use my hands way too much for them to last.
From there, I went to Victoria's Secret, where I was able to use some of my birthday money to purchase my first new bra since having Brooke. THAT was FUN! VS, how I missed thee. As much as I love her, it was a lot easier shopping without Brooke, too, especially for that sort of shopping. :)
Since Ryan had to work all day, (9-5, AND 6-1. Sigh. Fridays are the worst.) my family was going to celebrate my birthday with me, and they were determined to make it special. I had been told we were going to have pizza at their house, followed by my Mom's homemade cherry squares, which I had requested instead of cake. Instead, my family surprised me by taking me out to a nice restaurant! And not just any nice restaurant... the one my hubby works at part-time. :) So, not only did I get to have amazing seared scallops for dinner, but Ryan was able to see us pretty often while we dined, especially during his break.
With my gigantic gift from Mom and Dad ~
It's the beautiful bedding I mentioned I loved about 2 months ago!
Brooke and I with my birthday cherry square ~
Here's the new bedding on our bed!
After the bedding was washed, I stayed up until nearly midnight so that I could iron and steam the bedskirt. Who DOES that?! Wrinkles drive me crazy. :) I took this picture last night, so it looks darker than it actually is. It looks more airy and light in actuality. Our room now makes me feel like I'm living in a romantic bed and breakfast. :) I just love it.
Since Ryan had to work all day on Friday, he waited until Saturday morning to let me open his gift to me. After I got out of the shower, he had Starbucks waiting for me, along with a beautifully wrapped gift. :) I'll show you what he got me...
What a face. Excuse the wet hair--I just got out of the shower.
No, I can't tell you what it said ;-)
This was nestled inside the bag...
My gift!!! I absolutely love it, it's so beautiful!
I took this picture later with macro mode. Gorgeous!!
All of my cards! I felt so loved ~
We had planned on going hiking on Saturday, and I was going to pack us lunch and everything. However, the weather had other plans, and rained out our morning. Though, it would've been muddy from Friday's rain anyway, so it wasn't a total loss. After I finished getting ready, and the sun actually started to come out, we moved on to plan B, and went out to Lowe's to buy flowers for our deck with the rest of my birthday money. We ended up picking out pink dahlias for our big, decorative pot we bought last year, and two purple angelonias to sit in our wrought iron planter stands. We got them all set up while Brooke was taking a nap, and they look beautiful!
I had an absolutely wonderful, special, fun birthday all-around. 25 really isn't bad at all. :)
Also worth noting:
-Ryan had an accident on Thursday evening. A guy in an Escape rear-ended him, but he's OK! It's actually a blessing in a way because we'll get a new rear bumper. (remember my accident in '04 where I backed into the UPS truck?... Yeah, the bumper's been as-is ever since) It will need way more than a new bumper, and is currently in the body shop, so Ryan's driving around a Lancer. Thank goodness for insurance. :) -Toby, our cat, ran away. He clearly used to be at least a part-time outdoor cat, and used to try and sneak out the door whenever we'd leave. Well, he finally got past us, while Ryan was leaving for work, and never looked back. It's been a week since we've seen him, even though we went out looking for him one night, and have been checking the door throughout the day. Hopefully a nice family took him in. -Brooke has BOTH of her top front teeth now! The second one popped through on Saturday. She can grasp cheerios now, and I'll give her the occasional veggie from our dinner, like a green bean, to munch on.
Here's a (very messy) picture of her diving into the brave new world of finger foods--she's trying out a biter biscuit. :) Guess who needed a bath...
So, for Mother's Day, my hubby brought me flowers, and I haven't changed a single diaper so far. Yes! ;-) It's hard to believe that this time last year Brooke was still in my belly, kicking and growing. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies!
I think I've officially moved past the sheer panic of turning 25. It's all relative, you know? Sure, I'm "young" to someone older than me, and probably "old" to a highschooler, but all that matters is how I feel, right? I have to say, my life is pretty wonderful. Life is what you make it, and depends a lot on your attitude and your perception of it. The more you focus on your blessings and the little miracles in every day life, the harder it is to be dissatisfied. That could be my mantra. My life isn't always easy, but I choose to look at my blessings, and be thankful for them.
Our beach trip was AMAZING! We had an easy (and oh-so fun) drive up in Em's beautiful Crossfire, which is an absolutely fabulous road trip car! Before the show, we had time to stroll the boardwalk, have a slice of pizza, browse Shriver's candy shop, seek warmth in a souvenir shop, (where Em bought me the cutest OC pink tee as an "extra" birthday gift!) and enjoy gazing at the beautiful beach. With waves crashing, the breeze blowing, and the seagulls flying overhead, it was the picture of pure bliss!
We got a good spot in line, and ended up in the 3rd row of the general admission venue. Luna Halo opened for them, (which I had never heard of) but we ended up chatting with them after the show. Switchfoot was amazing, and did a nice mix of older songs along with the new. Em and I have loved them since their very first CD, so that was great. After the show, we met Luna Halo, got some pictures, and then waited by Switchfoot's tour bus to meet them. It turned super cold by that time at night, but I don't think we really realized it until after we were finally heading back to the car. They were definitely worth the wait, though... they were just as cool and interesting as you'd imagine them to be.
Of course I have PICTURES!
Em and I before the show started. This will be the ONLY picture of us without red eye. Really.
Jon - Switchfoot
Tim - Jon's brother - Switchfoot
Chad - Switchfoot
I kinda liked the smokiness in this shot
Jon & Drew
...Excuse the redeye in the following pictures taken in the dark...
L-R: Me, Chris -drummer of Luna Halo- & Em
L-R: Em, Nathan -frontman for Luna Halo- Me (can't remember the names of the last 2!)
Em & I with Tim from Switchfoot
Em & I with Jerome from Switchfoot.
He was on the other side of the stage, so I couldn't get a decent picture of him.
Em & I with Jon
The guys from Switchfoot made me feel like a giant. Who was it that said something about how, in real life, actors are always smaller than you imagined, while athletes are always bigger? I, of course, just botched that quote, but you could probably lump most musicians in with the former. :) You know you're getting old, though, when you talk with guys from a band about their wives and kids rather than panicking, nearly fainting, or simply blurting out, "I love you!" and "you're awesome!" as the group of 16 year-old girls did beside us... Mmmhmm.
