Birthdays!

Warning...this is going to be a lengthy post :)  Here goes...

As I mentioned before, Adam's birthday was March 3.  I made him one of his favorites...strawberry short cake.  I don't have a picture of it, because it got gone too fast!  I am not bragging that I am a great baker or anything, just admiting that Adam and I have a weakness for sweets!  :)  I was so excited to give him his birthday gift... a grill.  We have been using a crumby little grill (when it decides to work) for quite some time now.  Hopefully this new one will, at the very least, be a little more predictable.  Here is a picture of it from today, still in the box...

Maybe for Father's Day, I'll put it together for him.  Ha!

Our nephew, Connor, turned 2 on March 4.  I saw him on his birthday and asked him how old he was.  He held up 4 fingers and said "three!".  It was so cute.  The funny part is, I had to think about it for a minute...he really talks more like a 3 year old and acts like a 4 year old.  But he is 2   :)

Our newphew, Luke, turned 1 on March 10.  It is so hard to believe that a year has already gone by since he was born!  He is getting so big, though.  He can stand on his own, but is not quite walking yet.  Once he gets to walking good on his own, he will really seem like a big boy!  On one hand, I can hardly wait, but on the other, I want him to still be a baby.  :)

We celebrated Connor and Luke's birthdays today at Paramore Park in Winterville.  It was so much fun, and was a beautiful day for a birthday party!  Here are a few pics from the day...

Connor got a little shy when everybody was looking at him and singing "Happy Birthday to You".  He ducked under the table so no one could see him.  It was cute...

And here are a couple of examples of how pictures can be deceiving...Addison honestly loved the swing, although she doesn't look so thrilled here...

 (I just LOVE the chunky thighs!!!  Look at all that sweet meat!)

On the other hand, she was not a fan of the big slide, although judging by the picture, you would have thought she loved it.  I just wasn't fast enough to catch her crying right after they got to the end of the slide.

Addison had her first "cold" bottle today after church and then her second "cold" bottle at the party.  We decided to just give it a try and she didn't seem to mind at all.  She didn't drink it quite as fast, but she didn't seem to like it any less.  Check her out just a chillin' today with her cold bottle...

Such a Daddy's girl...

And I turned the big 3-0 yesterday, March 19.  I had THE BEST birthday!  First of all, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!  I spent the morning with my Adam :)  We went yard-saling.  We got several good deals, but my favorite was this...

A beautiful Japanese Maple tree for only $30!!!  We have a gorgeous Japanese Maple in our yard now that I have always adored.  This picture really doesnt do it justice...

We have another Japanese Maple that Adam got me for our 2nd anniversary that is planted where we used to live in Snow Hill.  We plan to move it back over here.  I guess I kind of have a thing for Japanese Maple trees?  Honestly, I just have a thing for trees!  I don't know a lot about any particular tree, but I do just love trees in general!  In fact, I love the outdoors, in general...always have!  So anyways, back to my birthday...

Adam got me the best present ever....he paid for someone to come clean our house...AWESOME!!  I have struggled to keep this house clean ever since little Addison was born.  Sometimes I feel like I can't really enjoy myself regardless of what I'm doing, because in the back of my mind I am thinking "I need to be cleaning my house".  That may sound crazy, but I swear having a clean house just relieves so much stress!!!  Now, if I could just keep it clean...Ha!  Then, last night, Yacinia kept Addison for a couple of hours and Adam and I went to our favorite restaurant, Tripp's.  As always, it was delicious!  My oh so sweet sister, Mindy, went to Tripp's just before we got there and left some money to pay for our meal as a birthday surprise for me.  Unfortunately, they did not make us aware of this and after figuring this out, Mindy had to go there today to get her money back.  Bless her heart!  It was such a sweet gesture...and besides, it's the thought that counts!  Thanks, Mindy!!! 

Now, in light of my birthday... I have tossed around the idea in my head...in fact I had a dream about it...Do you know that Tim McGraw song that goes "In my next 30 years..."  I am thinking of making a list of some things that I would like to change/do in my "next 30 years".  So, stay tuned....   ;)  And thanks to all for the birthday wishes!  My birthdays wouldn't be nearly as fun without you all....or any day, for that matter!