My birfday

This year my birthday (January 22) fell on a Friday.  Lucky for me, Jeff had something up his sleeve.  He always asks me if I want to be surprised, or if I should just tell him what I want to do.  I really didn't know this year.  It was one of those years that wasn't really a milestone birthday, and I really was so busy with my life and the kids that I couldn't give it a second thought.

Then, the night before, Jeff came home and said he had figured something out.  He was going to surprise me, but figured I needed to be in on it so I could help him with it.  He had called one of our good friends to see if she wouldn't mind taking our three girls for the night.  She obliged, and was very excited to do it.  So, we had a night to ourself to go out to dinner, and use a hotel stay with some of Jeff's points.  It was a wonderful idea.  Emma sleeps through the night, and takes a bottle now, so it was perfect.  I was so excited!  A night to ourselves!  To eat whatever we wanted and take as LONG as we wanted!  To go to bed when we were tired and to get out of bed when we wanted to!  For a mother of three young children, that is the best gift you could give me (along with a massage thrown in, but that was pushing it!)

We dropped the kidd-o's off and went into Dallas.  We ate dinner at Magianno's, and I had one of the best steaks and garlic mashed potatoes I've had in a LONG time.  We walked around Northpark Center and I visited the new H&M that is coming there soon (they have a preview store there now.)  I got a couple of free birthday gifts, at Godiva and Sephora and Aveda.  And then it was off to a nice hotel with a wonderful room on the top floor.  The next morning we slept in, and ate breakfast at Manny's by our house.  We stopped and picked up my birthday cupcakes at What's Up Cupcake (I opted for cupcakes this year instead of a cake, and this place makes GREAT ones.)  And the girls were happy and sweet Emma was as cute as I remembered.  What a wonderful birthday.  Thank you to everyone who made it all possible.

Thanks to all my family and friends for their cards and gifts.  And thank you to my sister Katie who got me a red "You are special today" plate that I've wanted for many years now, but have never gotten around to getting.  I will eat my birthday cake (or cupcake) on it every year starting now.