28 And Couldn't Be Happier!

My birthday was wonderful! I guess it was more than just a day though. The nice thing about having your birthday fall on a Sunday is that everyone seems to stretch it out over the week. On Friday one of my best friends, Bailey, took me out to a lunch of my choosing. It was so nice to get out just one on one and get to talk a little more than we do when the little ones are around. Later that evening I got to go out with all my lady friends while Joe stayed at home with AJ. We went to get frozen yogurt and just talked for almost 2 hours. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful friends here, especially with all our family being so far away. You are all truly a blessing in my life and you make being the wife of a law student far more bearable. Thank you!
Early Saturday morning AJ woke up. Joe got up, got my ear plugs, and told me to go back to bed. two hours later I wake up to Joe coming in the room with a wonderful hot breakfast he had spent all morning making.

Special pancakes, buttermilk syrup, strawberries, eggs, chocolate milk and yes, a grape squeeze-it. 

It was so tasty. I sat in bed enjoying every bite, especially since Joe made me eat it with my eyes closed. He was setting something up in the room that I wasn't allowed to see. Somehow it made my breakfast taste even better. As soon as I finished eating I began my big treasure hunt that Joe had so thoughtfully put together. 28 clues for 28 years. We went everywhere from the bathroom to the kitchen. These clues were all over the place. It eventually led me to the shed where I found pirate booty and a treasure chest with 3 fun pirate movies; Peter Pan, Treasure Planet and Muppet Treasure Island. It was so fun and very memorable. Thank you, Joe!

We relaxed a little, took time to shower and enjoy a quiet morning, and then took AJ to Briana's house for our date portion pf the day. Briana had offered to babysit a while back, but I don't think she knew she was going to be our first potty training experiment.

AJ had fun playing with Emmy. but sadly, did make a mess or two on their carpet. Sorry, Briana! Thank you for being such a great sport. We got to enjoy a little shopping and a super fun movie while we were out.

Yes, we are those kinds of parents...we leave our kid at home while we go see a Disney Movie...Sorry, little buddy. 

Joe had found this really cool Civil War Era restaurant just out of town that he wanted to try. It was a quiet and quaint little room at the bottom of an inn. Only maybe 12 tables or so. It felt very exclusive and fun.

They are very well known for their burgers, so naturally I had to give them a try.

Now that is what I call a "pickle spear!"

The food was fantastic. There was so much flavor and complexity to the food. It will be somewhere to take visiting guests in future.
On Sunday (my actual birthday) we went about like everything was normal. AJ was a gem at church though. He even stayed dry all through church. No accidents on my birthday at all. It was a wonderful birthday gift. We took a short drive after church to "help AJ fall asleep."

Which he did. Turns out we were just giving Bailey and Scott time to do this...

Ignore the blanket over our fireplace. We have a major draft problem we are trying to handle.
Honey, you can't make a whole caption telling people to ignore something. Everyone who read this looked at the blanket.

 Thank you, guys, for being so sweet and decorating for my birthday. It made me feel so special, and you are lucky Joe didn't take all the credit for it...

AJ loved playing with the balloons. Please excuse the informal attire. :)

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday great. All the cards, phone calls, and Facebook wishes were all wonderful and really helped me feel loved on my special day! Can't wait to see what this year has in store.