Happy Birthday Jeff!

Yesterday was Jeff's 35th birthday! And let me tell you we celebrated in style..just kidding. We did celebrate but not in our traditional way. Friday night, the day before his birthday we went out for his birthday dinner to a Japanese steakhouse. It was the first time that we have taken the kids to a Japanese steakhouse and they loved it. We were fortunate enough to get an entertaining cook and as usual the food was great and we left stuffed! Saturday was Jeff's birthday and at his request we made ham and cheese omelets for breakfast. After breakfast, we opened presents...which, besides the cake, is my girl's favorite part about birthdays. This year I surprised him and splurged and got him what he really wanted...Brooks Brothers dress shirts. I usually have a hard time spending $50+ on a shirt, however, because Jeff does wear a dress shirt 6 days a week he does need good shirts that fit well and will last a long time. He had informed me about a week ago that he wanted a couple of nice dress shirts for his birthday, to which I responded I will NOT spend $50+ on a dress shirt when I can get a perfectly good shirt for $20. The response was all part of my surprise plan....no really, he was thrilled with his shirts.
After opening presents, we kissed Jeff good-bye and parted ways. Jeff headed to a wedding and the kids and I headed to Jeff's company picnic at Stone Mountain park. Yes, we left Jeff at home alone on his birthday, while we went and enjoyed a great day at Stone Mountain. Jeff would have loved to have joined us and we would have loved to have him come, but knowing how busy his Saturday and Sunday were going to be, he decided it was in his best interest to rest up, prepare his talk and stay home. If the kids did not love Stone Mountain and company picnic as much as they do, we probably would have stayed home with Jeff. However, Jeff knows how much they enjoy the park, picnic and laser show, so he sent me and the kids on our way.
The kids and I had a great day. The park was not nearly as crowded as last year, the weather cooperated very nicely (not too hot, not too cold and NO rain), we got to enjoy almost all of the attractions, there was face painting, balloon shaping, jumpables, good food and the laser show was great this year! Once I knew for sure that Jeff would not be accompanying us to Stone Mountain, I briefly thought about skipping the trip all together. It was a lot of work taking 3 kids to the park all day, but I can say now that it was worth it! The girls especially, loved every minute of it...I'm sure they will be talking about it for weeks!
Finally today we made a cake and blew out candles for Jeff's birthday. I had asked Bayley earlier in the week if we should buy Jeff a cake for his birthday. She immediately responded that she would be in charge of his cake and would be decorating it herself (this is becoming a bit of a tradition, Bayley loves to decorate cakes and birthdays are a great excuse for her to practice her skills)! Kendal also wanted to participate, so I drew a line down the middle of the cake and the girls went to town decorating their Dad's cake!
I am so lucky to have such a great husband. He really is a wonderful husband, my best friend, and the BEST dad ever! His kids absolutely adore him and love to spend time with their busy dad! Happy Birthday Jeff! Love ya!