For the Journey


Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance." ~Psalm 65:11
We spent the second weekend in a row celebrating our December birthdays.  Because one weekend obviously wasn't enough.  Actually, there just wasn't enough time the first time around.  We had celebrated all day with Hannah Kate on Friday, her actual birthday, but then spent Saturday getting our Christmas tree.  Seth's birthday was on Sunday, but we were busy with church and also had dress rehearsal for our Christmas musical so we really didn't celebrate his.  He didn't get his special birthday meal so that's what we did this past weekend.

He'd already told me what he wanted.  At our house, this is what his and hers looks like.  But more about that later.  

Saturday started out with another little birthday celebration for Hannah Kate.  Her little bestie came over and spent the day.  Now that we are homeschooling, they hadn't seen each other since last spring.  They were SO. EXCITED.  I took them to get a mani/pedi.

Jaci is the tiniest thing!  She sat down in that chair, and it nearly swallowed her.  

This is only the second time I've taken Hannah Kate to the "spa" so she was thrilled.  (Yes, it's December.  Yes, she's wearing shorts.  It was in the 80s on Saturday!)

They are like two peas in a pod.  They both picked out the same polish for their toes (a hot pink color) and fingers (a teal color).  (Notice Jaci has a pillow now!)


I took them to the mall to eat lunch.  The only reason we went here was because I wanted a pair of red heels!  They had a ball walking around and looking at all of the shoes.

After lunch they rode the carousel.

When we got home, they played together the rest of the afternoon.

And then it was time to celebrate this guy's birthday.  I'll never forget the day we took our engagement pictures.  The photographer told Seth he was "quite the poser."  Apparently, some things haven't changed in his 39 years!  (Yep, next year is the BIG ONE!)

For our birthdays (meaning mine and Seth's), I really prefer going out.  You know, so someone else does the cooking and cleaning.  But I do love cooking for my people so that's just become the norm around here.  But then Seth announced about a month ago that he wanted a tomahawk.

Well, the only tomahawk I know anything about happens at Turner Field.  Anyway.  I really wasn't thrilled.  I knew I couldn't cook that thing, and I didn't want Seth to have to cook his own birthday meal.  And, I mean, I don't eat steak.  But he insisted that's what he wanted.  So that's what he got.  He was solely responsible for the preparation and cooking of the whole thing.  Before.

And after.  Seth and the kids managed to eat pretty much the whole thing.  I forgot to ask him how much it weighed.  But it was a lot.  I asked him if it met or exceeded his expectations.  He said it was really good.

I had steak also.  Tuna steak.  And it was SO. GOOD.  Now this is my kind of birthday meal!

Seth isn't big on sweets so I didn't even bother making a carrot cake (his favorite) this year.  It never gets eaten.  But I wanted him to have a little cake so I picked up this cute pecan praline bundtlet at a fabulous little bundt place in Baton Rouge.  There's nothing significant about the four candles except that was all I had!


And . . . because boys will be boys and girls will be girls . . .

And that does it for the December birthday celebrations!