The Big 2-8

I had a great birthday this year! After taking forever to decide what to do, we finally made the plan. I had talked Dad into babysitting the kids while the girls went out. He gave us a 2-hour limit, so we planned wisely. Heather, Jessica, Emily (and Graham), Becky, and I (and Hadley) did a little shopping at Dana Park while Mom took the first babysitting shift. Then Devry and Mom joined us for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. It's always a treat to enjoy a nice, quiet meal without having to help feed and take care of kids. Afterwards Heather, Emily & I went to a couple of more stores, and then headed back to Mom & Dad's house for awhile. Mindi had come across at great sale at Desert Surf Co., and told us about it. Devry, Daisy, and I decided to go check it out. Everything was 80-95% off! It was crazy! Most of the stuff I bought was for Liberty and Hadley, but I bought a couple of things for me. I ended up saving over $500 and spending less than $100! I bought cute pink carseat covers for both Hadley and Liberty that were regularly $118 for $23! I got myself a cute bag that was regularly $56 for $2.80! I also got a few pairs of super cute Reef sandles for Liberty for $1.60! I got several other shirts, shorts, etc. for Liberty for some great bargain prices! I always enjoy sales like that!

After that, Trever had finished his shift at the hospital, so we went to dinner at Oregano's. I figured since I hadn't spent a lot of the day with Liberty that we'd take the kids. Unfortunately it was bad timing for Hadley, and she needed a little extra attention during dinner. We decided from now on if we wanted a relaxing dinner to leave her with a babysitter! The food was delicious of course, and since it was my birthday we got a Pizz-ookie! YUM!

My mom had made an angel food cake (my favorite) for someone, and sent some home with me for my birthday. Before she went to bed, Liberty wanted to sing Happy Birthday one more time, and blow out the candles. So, I told her we couldn't eat the cake since we already had dessert, but we could sing and blow out the candles. So that we did! She absolutely LOVES birthdays - she loves singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles. The best part about this story... we repeated it the next night, but ate the cake this time. She can't get enough of singing and candles!

Liberty is very into colors right now. She knows everyone's favorite colors, and is always pointing out whose favorite color something is. I really had to convince her that it is okay to wear or have something that isn't pink - her favorite color. I also had to convince her that it's okay to like other colors, even if it's not her favorite. Sometimes she still needs a gentle reminder. She also relates birthdays to favorite colors. If I tell her it's someone's birthday party, she asks, "What color is it?" I still am not sure if she means what color is the cake, or what color is the party. Either way, anytime the topic of birthday parties comes up, she reminds me that her birthday was pink. So, in honor of my favorite color red, I dressed the girls in red for my birthday. I know Liberty appreciated it!

Days like my birthday always remind me how grateful I am for Trever, my girls, and all of my family!