My Birthday Weekend

 My 27th birthday was on Saturday. There is no denying I am on my way to 30 now!

There was a first birthday party for a niece of mine in our old town, and since Scott was there working anyway, Pixie and I spent the day there. 

I got a few big presents early this year. I bought myself a KitchenAid Stand Mixer and Scott got me a digital antenna, so we now get an awesome fistful of free tv stations.

We dropped Pixie off at Becca's house on Saturday, then went on a date. That's all I wanted for my birthday!

Scott took me to the local miniature golfing range. It was a lot of fun. He won of course, by three strokes, but I was the one that won a free game at the end. 

It was so nice going out without Pixie for a change. It had been months since we've had a date by ourselves, out of the home! We went to Chili's afterward. They are the only place around here that will substitute any of the burgers on their menu with black bean burgers. It was so good. I gave my compliments to pass onto whomever was on the grill. They really knew how to cook a veggie burger. It wasn't dried out like they can be, it was moist and delicious. I got the mushroom swiss burger and Scott got some kind of bbq one. I saved almost all of my fries for Pixie. I'm not a big fry person. 

We got to hang out with Scott's siblings for a while. That was really fun. His sister is getting married in 2 weeks, so I took her shopping and we did some wedding talk. 

All day Scott had been trying to find a tattoo and piercing parlor to get my ears pierced. I haven't had it done, but have been seriously thinking about it for the last year. I didn't want to take Pixie into one of those places, so we dropped her back off at Becca's and went to get it done, before we came back and ate raspberry cheesecake she had made me. 

We found a place that was open. I was really hesitant to go in, thinking I'd look like a dork for just wanting my ears pierced when they looked like bikers, but they thanked me for being educated enough to go to them and not to the mall. I did my research on it and piercing guns in a store or mall are not sanitary at all. Plus they shove the earring through your ear and that can cause more issues with healing. At a piercing parlor, they are sanitary. The gal I had had been doing it for 15 years and had a medical background. They wash their hands, put on gloves and open a sterile hollow needle that will take a piece of your skin out, not just shove something through it. And I got small hoops, not studs. I didn't want studs. 

I think it hurts more this way, but I'm glad I had it done the right way. I said I'd rather have blood drawn and I was right, it did seem to hurt more than that. The sound is horrible, but at least it's done now! I bled quite a bit. It was great.

I got to open some more presents (along with eat some cheesecake! Thank you, Becca!) and scored a laptop bag and socks...with rock climbing instruction passes tucked into them. Those were more gifts from Scott, of course! Mom and Becca gave me money for another year membership to Sam's Club, which is such an awesome gift!

Pixie and I finally got home a little after 10pm. I wish I could have spent more time with my sister and her family, but it was over 1 1/2 hours to get home. I took the small country roads too, which thankfully, I didn't meet any critters on.

I got home and got a package of goodies from my mom. It was a wonderful birthday!

Here are a few cute pictures I took of Pixie while we were waiting for Scott to pick us up to go to church yesterday morning. Look how old my Pixie is! She's such a little lady. I can't believe she's 3!

Pixie's 3rd Birthday

Last Sunday was Pixie's 3rd birthday. It's hard to believe that my only child isn't a baby anymore! 

She's growing up so fast. She's such a little companion right now. I'm enjoying it.

We had been planning on going to my parent's house to visit, so we did a last minute birthday party on Saturday with them.

My mom and dad drew and painted this card for her. She loved it! My parents really know how to make things special and add that extra thought. We all sang "Yellow Submarine" later, accompanied by my dad on the guitar.

Grandpa showed her the kale in the garden. She kept picking it and eating it at this picnic table.

 Becca and her family made it. Pixie has missed her cousins.

We headed up to the park for the party. Kizzie and her family made it too! It was fun.

On Sunday I invited the branch president's family over for a little party.

Their daughter made hair bows for Pixie and gave her a little lamb. She's very much into animals right now....and hair bows!

She was a little shy with all of the attention, and she had icing on her face from the spatula I let her lick.

Here she is wearing one of the flower clips she got.

After we had cake, all the children disappeared into Pixie's room and they had a ball. I found some pictures of them all on her kid camera she got. 

It was a nice birthday. Thank you to my family for remembering and making it special, and to the Day and Westover families for sharing with us at the last minute!

Scott's 27th Birthday

 Scott's birthday was Sunday. I had planned to take him out Saturday evening, after he spent some time with his family, but all my plans got foiled by him having to be to work at 9pm. So, we just brought Pixie with us to do some window shopping. We went to 54th Street and got some stuffed mushrooms to go. He loves those things. They are filled with some kind of cream cheesy mixture. It was really too late to do anything else, so we didn't. 

I invited Rebecca's family over for a birthday lunch after church. I prepared as much as I could the night before, because what else? Scott had to work again at 3pm and church isn't over until noon. 

Becca helped me get everything prepared. And she brought a cheesecake as well. 

We made curried coconut veggies, jasmine rice, cream cheese wontons with a dab of curry in them, veggie lo mein, fried rice, and I made a white chocolate strawberry cheesecake with a dark chocolate crust. Yum! It was amazing.

Pixie is Two!

My baby is two! Pixie's birthday was Saturday. I can't believe how much has changed in the last two years. Pixie is so much easier to take care of now. She handles strangers and crowds better and sleeps through the night usually. She is speaking so much that sometimes it's difficult for Scott and I to carry on a conversation, she loves to sing, and recently has found a burst of energy which comes in the form of running around screaming and jumping. Pixie loves Tinker Bell (fitting, eh?). She loves to pretend play with her dolls and felt food. She still is an amazingly healthy eater, in spite of the fact that she's starting to develop her independence like a toddler does.

We had a party at the park Saturday morning and ate lunch there too. I decided at the last minute to make Pixie's cake into a teapot. I didn't have powdered sugar, so I tried to create my own. It didn't work too well and it was grainy, but I don't like icing anyway! I made a bunch of cupcakes and a dark chocolate ganache to go on them. They were amazing. I had cupcakes from a "gourmet" bakery later on that day that weren't nearly as good as mine!

I won this birthday shirt last year and it fit her perfectly!

Scott's Grandma Janet and Grandpa Jay

Our wonderful neighbors, Mark and Kim.

Our friend, Kara, from church and her little girl. They are moving and we are sad!

Becca and her family

Proof that Pixie finally let her uncle hold her!

Scott and Stephen. Doesn't Scott look so young without his goatee? I miss it, but I'm kinda getting used to it.

Scott's cousins and aunt was there...

Here everyone is playing ring around the rosey.

Cake and presents time! She got so many presents. So many! I found some things at thrift stores and such, so I got her a lot too. I found a $45 dollar brand new Gotz doll for $3!

My mom came and was taking pictures at this point. I didn't get one with her in it. :(

Can you guess that this gift was from Daddy?

Pixie had so much fun. It was unusual for me to go somewhere and not have her wanting me to hold her every second. She ran off and played with the other kids for almost the whole time! She was so tired by the end of it. Scott took her home and got her down for a nap while I rushed over to my sister-in-law's baby shower. It was a good day!