An Anniversary I'll Never Forget!

Yesterday was our 7th wedding anniversary! Joe and I have spent the last 7 years learning and growing and falling more in love with each other. We had a great time looking back on how far we have come and how far we will go in the next 7 years. One thing I always look forward to on our anniversary is fresh flowers. Although we had talked about it the day before, I was still caught off guard yesterday morning when Joe was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a dozen white roses, and even better an IHOP to go bag filled with Chocolate Chip Pancakes. At this point I thought how could the day get any better, except that we had a nice quiet dinner planned at Outback!

This is how my day started.....

This is how it ended.....

Ahh, that's sweet you say, a dinner for 2 at Outback. Well...not exactly!

See, my birthday is Friday and this one happens to mark 30 years of life for me, which I must say has hit me pretty hard. I told Joe awhile ago, I'd love to do something special for my birthday with all the people that are special to me and it doesn't have to be a surprise, I just don't want to plan it. So my Hubby and Sister and Best friend all conspired to bring me a wonderful surprise. Instead of a quiet dinner for 2, I had dinner with all my favorite people!

Joe booked the back room at Outback and orchestrated quite the fib to get me there! I wasn't happy with him walking into the restaraunt, but that soon changed and I understood why he was 45 minutes late gettting home.

It was perfect...walking into a room and looking at everyone that was there and I just kept seeing more and more faces of people I have known my whole life, to 20 years, to 15 years to just one year. What an amazing time to get to spend with people I love...it takes a little of the bitterness out of turning 30.

So to my Hubby, Sister, and Best Friend, and all those who conspired, thank you for pulling this one off, I know it wasn't easy, but you made it the best "Anniversary" Birthday Party I've ever had! I love you all! And special thanks to you Papa Joe for the role you played in all this and to Kim for the amazing DVD of my life that you made, I'll treasure it always!

Mark, Heather, Kevin, Jamie, Chris and Amy - all friends from our Bible Study, but so much more!

Chris and Jessica, Brad and Katrina - Joe's buddies growing up, my gals now!

Jeff, Jeanette, Mark, Jenny, Dr. Lee and Mrs. Lee - more like family than friends. Besides my family, these are the people that have known me over 15 years!

Mom and Dad, Kim and Brent, Chris and Jen - This is my family, parents, brother and sister!

Papa Joe, Barbara and Nana with their adorable grandchildren! They have been my family for the last 7 years!

What a Weekend!

We started off the weekend with the Judds at Pizzeria at the beach. It was yummy, although for dinner we sat 4 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 babies at a 4-top table! Hey, you'll do anything when the kiddos are hungry. Carter and Anna had to hang out in the double stroller and Erin and Anderson shared a chair!

Saturday we packed up and went to the Bay, Erin's new favorite beach! We met Papa Joe and Baba there and had a Bojangles picnic on the beach. It was the perfect beach day until yet again the rain chased us away!

Isn't she the sweetest thing, sleeping on Papa Joe!

Saturday evening the Jacksons brought over some steaks to grill. We had stopped at a produce stand and bought some corn, potatoes and fresh peaches for cobbler. It was a yummy meal on the deck and then it was off to bed for the kiddos and cards for the parents!

Sunday it was back to the beach after good long naps after church. We headed to the bay at Ocean View and then joined the Maggiores for dinner at Ship's Cabin. Yummy seafood and a beautiful view - what a way to end a perfect family weekend!

A Day with my Girls

Erin and I used to get out just about everyday, whether it was on a mission or just because. When Anna came along we became a little more housebound, but finally got our groove. Now, I feel like we are always out on a time bound mission or playdate and we never really just go out for the fun of it(well, my kind of fun of it!) So yesterday Anna decided to snooze til 9:00(I know - hate me) so Erin and I got ready so we could pop out as soon as Anna woke up. We got her dressed and milked and then headed out. We went to have a bagel and muffin at Panera and then headed over to Target and browsed the clearance and bought baby shower gifts. Then we stopped by the new Salvation Army store. All this and back home by 11:30 for lunch and naps. It was so nice just spending time with the girls and talking with Erin. Anna rather enjoyed her cinnamon crunch bagel as well! I look forward to lots more times like these with my girls!

Water Play

Anna got this new water table for her birthday and she loves it, and big sister does too. It's great because it makes her stand up which is not something she does very steadily. I sat behind her most of the time to catch her when she started to tumble. She would quickly reach back up and want to stand up again so I know this is going to help build her strength. Not to mention both girls LOVE splashing in the water. Look Miss Heather your toy matches our table perfectly, and it was a big hit too!

Party with a Purpose!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

On Sunday we had Anna's 1st birthday party. We decided instead of your typical birthday party, we would do a Party with a Purpose to support CHKD. We are so thankful for the service CHKD provides and since Anna is so blessed, we wanted to give back to this special place. Our little Miracle had a wonderful time celebrating although I don't think she knew what it was all about. We are blessed to be surrounded by such supportive friends and family that love our little Anna. It was a day we'll always remember!

Birthday Celebration - Take 1

I can't believe my baby turned 1 yesterday. Little Anna is now a big 1 year old. We started our birthday celebration at Jason's Deli for lunch so she could have her first ice cream cone. We did this with Erin too so we thought it was a good tradition to carry on! Anna thought it was a good idea too!

A Royal Weekend!

One of Joe's Best Friends from Atlanta, Dr. King came to visit us this weekend. He took Joe in when he was at Georgia Tech and has been like a Grandfather to us. Erin is actually named after him, as he is Dr. Aaron King. Maybe one day she'll take on the Dr. part too! We always have such a great time when he comes up even though it is such a short visit. Last year when he was here Anna was still cooking, so this was their first meeting.

We had a delicious dinner at our home on Friday and just spent time as a family. Then on Saturday we headed to IHOP and then the beach which was cut short by rain. Luckily the sun came out again Sat. night and we were able to eat outside at the beach. After church today we dined at the Founder's Inn. SO you can tell our favorite thing to do with Dr. King is eat! I think we all gained at least 5 pounds and Erin discovered she loves popcorn shrimp - that's my girl!

Here are way too many pictures, but I just can't narrow them down. It's only once a year we get him all to ourselves, so we have to soak it in. He and Erin share a special bond and she just loves him to pieces, he even got to snuggle with her on the couch which isn't something we even get to do! Hopefully Anna will take to him just as well in the future, right now it's a momma only phase!