Feeling Special

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. It came and went, and now I'm officially "in" my thirties. Yikes.

Typically, my parents come to visit for my birthday weekend and babysit for us so Matt & I can celebrate with a weekend "away" (even though we usually stay in town). Unfortunately, my dad had knee replacement surgery recently, so there was no way they could travel to Dallas. I have to say that when I realized that this was the first birthday they haven't visited since I can remember, I was a little sad, but it's ok. Every year is different, and this year was a wonderful birthday celebration. Hopefully next year things will be back to normal. :)

The birthday weekend started with a family day. We took a trip to the Arboretum (my favorite) and had a picnic--more pictures for another post. Then that night, Matt took me on a special dinner date to Sissy's--a new (to us) restaurant that has delicious home-cookin' food.

When Matt asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told him that I wanted a day "off" from being a mom. This meant sleeping in the guest room so they couldn't wake me up early :) and spending the day with friends and relaxing. It was wonderful. I've always been a girl who enjoys "me" time, so this was the perfect gift that Matt could have given me. I felt very loved and special.  :)

We started the birthday weekend with a picnic at the Arboretum--Caroline was excited.

Stopping to smell the flowers

Our birthday dinner date at Sissy's

Spent my "day off" with Dayna & Cayce--manicures, pedicures, shopping and brunch at BreadWinners!

Afterwards, I spent the afternoon at the park--enjoying the beautiful spring day reading a book.  I also enjoyed showing off my pedicure & my birthday flip-flops from my sister. :)

The perfect ending to a wonderful day--Matt got my all-time favorite cake to celebrate. :)

Creative candles :)

Will LOVES birthday cakes and was more than happy to help me blow out the candles!

I told you--a wonderful birthday celebration that left me feeling loved and relaxed. Bring on the thirties! :)

Easter Do-Over

It's 12:30pm on Easter Sunday; the house is quiet and I can't sleep. All I can think about is how I wish we could go back and have a do-over of today. I wish today looked completely different than it did. It started with a thunderstorm, and steamed forward with Will getting a stomach bug, missing church, Caroline having a big tumble--complete with a bloody lip--and it ended with me, sick as a dog, on the couch...willing bedtime to come so I could rest. It was a hard day.

I finally got some sleep and started to feel better. But the downside to an early bedtime is insomnia. So as I'm reflecting on our difficult day--a day that was supposed to be a happy memory--I feel myself slipping down the slope of not-met expectations & comparison. Thieves of joy. I start looking on Facebook and Instagram, thinking of how we didn't...

-Get the perfect family picture--or any family picture for that matter!
-Have the babies in beautiful clothes--we did until Will got sick on them! Caroline stayed in her beautiful Easter dress, though. :)
-Have a big Easter Bunny/Basket moment--Red Flag #1 that Will was really sick.
-Have a awesome egg hunt--we tried our best with an indoor one!
-Do family activities, bible time,etc...--we were thankful to just get through the day!
-Eat yummy food--Will & I tried our best with our sick tummies!

The list could go on and on. Comparison really is my thief of joy. But then, a little voice (the holy spirit) reminded me...it's not about any of that. It's not about pictures, or clothes, or any of those insignificant things. It's about my savior. Conquering death. Redeeming my sin. Rising from the grave....That's what Easter is about.

So, I learned a hard lesson today. Part of me wished for a do-over, but in reality, I wouldn't change a thing. Because I was taught what Easter is truly about. And I hope that in years to come, I never forget it.

And, for those who enjoy pictures (mom!), here are the few we took...

















Happy Easter!!

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