Celebrating 29 years

BIRTHDAY! I shout "BIRTHDAY" as I write it just like they do at Pappasitos....for any of you who have ever celebrated a birthday there : ) I do love birthdays, and have had a run of amazing birthday celebrations in the recent years. I thought it would be funny to compare my birthday in 2011 to this year...

I spent the day at the Ritz Carlton Spa with Jenny as a gift from my Auntie Deb & Uncle Joe. It was beyond relaxing & a great time to take a breather before welcoming baby Eloise into our lives. She was born 13 days later.  I think I forget how large my belly gets....wow! It makes me look forward to being pregnant again : ) 

Here is sweet Eloise, the one who made my belly so gigantic for my birthday last year.  She was happy to celebrate Mommy's special day outside the womb : )

So, the day started with a back massage by Charlotte's feet as she laid unconscious perpendicular to me in my bed. It actually felt pretty nice. I woke up to hearing Robby telling Eloise to not be so noisy, haha! She was babbling up a storm while playing in the living room. He fed her a bottle so I could sleep in.  I felt so rested & just laid in the bed for as long as I could stand it. I came out around 7:30. For some reason it is easy to get up on the early side to celebrate your birthday. Char slept till 8 which is completely unheard of these days in the Valentine Nest.  She was so cute when she came out. She looked at the table & saw a few gifts & said excitedly "Mommy, it's your birthday!"  Just a fair warning, this post could also be titled as "All I ate for my 29th Birthday" or "If I didn't have a negative pregnancy test last week, you might think I was eating for two again."

Rob made some amazing banana nut muffins with a sugary sweet topping that I wanted to lick off each one.  They put a candle in one muffin and sang "Happy Birthday" to me then Char helped me blow it out.

We ate our breakfast & I got to open a few cards & gifts.  My parents sent me a new dress, a swimsuit cover & a few yards of a fabric my mom & I saw when I was visiting Kingwood.  So fun to have something new & even more fun to make something new : ) Charlotte had said the day before my birthday that she & Daddy were going shopping for my "birthday pheasant." Oh my, that was so funny! She was really excited for me to open my gift from them. She & Eloise each picked out a large package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...my ultimate favorite candy!  Robby surprised me with a flash for my camera which is REALLY exciting. Our main area in our house is pretty void of enough natural light for a good part of the day so a flash will be such a helpful addition to my photography equipment! It also provides for another learning opportunity as I know next to nothing about how to use it : ) After gifts, Robby read some scripture to me & affirmed me as a woman, wife & mom.  I love for Charlotte & Eloise to hear him speak to me in that way & pray that our girls will someday have husbands as wonderful as their own father. 

After we got ready for the day, Rob headed off to get some work done in that office of his while I got to talk to my parents.  May 17th is a special day for them as well.  They celebrated 32 years of marriage this year as I celebrated my 29th birthday!  They surprised me with the news that my mom could come and spend the week of Elo's birthday with us!  I was bouncing off the walls with excitement : ) Soon after that conversation, we welcomed Jenny, Karis & Isaac for a playdate.  We hadn't seen each other in a couple weeks so it was great to catch up.  Jenny brought over homemade mini quiches & cranberry orange scones for a brunch birthday celebration. They were delicious!  

During nap time, I did not move from the comfy chair in my bedroom, something that rarely happens : ) Once the girls woke up, I dropped them off with Juanita & Mati while I went and got a pedicure.  The last one I had was on May 17th last year at the spa.  I brought in my favorite OPI color- Do You Think I'm Tex-y that is from a Texas themed set of polish that the Lent's gave me last year.  I brought a book that I am enjoying the second time around called "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic. It was refreshing physically to have my feet pampered and refreshing spiritually to be reminded of the value in my God given role as mommy to Char & Elo. Result of $23 well spent: happy toes, happy heart!

I got to visit via phone with one of my best friends, Jocelyn from my years at Texas Tech.  It is always a blessing to have more than a 5 minute conversation with her as she stays as busy as I do with her two boys.  We talked for nearly 30 minutes! What a great birthday gift!  I found the girls to be having a wonderful time playing with Matilda so I sat down and enjoyed a yummy mini bowl of ice cream before heading home for dinner. 

Robby had given me the option last weekend of going out to dinner for my birthday or staying in & having him cook a "Greek Feast" as we call it.  That took about a nanosecond to vote for option number two! I would take his cooking any day over eating out! Plus, growing up we always had a family dinner at home for our birthday so I hope to continue that tradition. I bathed the girls, put Eloise to bed & got Charlotte set up with a little Angelina Ballerina.  Robby prepared the table for us complete with some fabulous music. 

Let me explain "Greek Feast." We ate at a restaurant called Ziziki's in Dallas for many special occasions or when we were just craving it.  They served Ziziki bread & sauce which is basically a pita breaded with herbs topped with melted cheese. It is pretty much to die for & Rob can replicate it perfectly.  We had ground lamb stuffed with feta wrapped in pita bread with roasted red potatoes. WOWSERS....perfect ending to a perfect day! I was so relaxed, so full & teary eyed once again.  Thank you to all who made me feel so very special on my birthday!